C’mon now, the man successfully ran to major wars at the same time, each critical to our national future, at the same time he had to deal with the divergent aims of different allies, and some ver critical and powerful allies who didn’t see eye to eye with us on much of anything but defeating the Nazis, and even then it was herding big cats, because they all wanted to do it in different ways. Not to mention prima donna generals and troops that all grew up together in the same staes, and had more loyalty to their own officers than the “outdsider” officers. I personally believe that while he may not have served in the trenches, his tasks in WWII were Herculean indeed. I can think of few men in history who could have accomplished what he did, and do it so successfully. He was/is a great man among men in my humble opinion.
I didn’t say anything bad about Ike...I like Ike! He may have been an outstanding staff officer, and was tremendously adept in both the political and administrative realms. I think he was much more prescient and visionary than most of our presidents have been in this century, and presided over what may have been some of this nation’s best, most productive and innovative years. I’m not rank ordering him as president, or as general, in which both capacities I think he excelled...but merely in response to the list of “manliest” presidents, in which personal acts of physical prowess and courage must be taken into account.