and david eisenhower, for whom camp david was named, is the grandson of ike. >>> we're back.ublican party, as we just said, is in a soul searching mode right now looking to explain its loss and find a new candidate to get them to win. back in the 1950s, the and by a landslide in 1956. >> your thoughts about his legacy then. rockefeller and create some kind of legacy for moderation? >> well, what he did was he started a national republican that involved in the new deal the harry truman deal. he's the first in line starting in 1962 and did it by combining, i would say, pro-business conservative principles on one hand but moderation and outlook and in manner and above all, the ability to reach across the aisle. i think this is something that he had. but this was a wartime habit that he developed as general and also as part of the times. the democratic party was the majority party in that period and republicans had every incentive to reach across the aisle which is really not the case today. today you've got republicans and democrats very narrowly divided, which means all of the

because nixon had left so quickly, so unexpectedly, they left their daughter and son-in-law, david eisenhower, to pack all their clothes and belongings. it took, literally took seven or eight days. we had to go back to our little house in alexandria, virginia, suburb ya, you know, the neighborhood was surrounded by secret service. we had been living there, and i'll never forget mom is cooking dinner, literally we are sitting around the dinner table -- [laughter] and mom's cooking dinner, and she looks over at my dad, and she goes, gerry, something's wrong here. [laughter] you just became president of the united states, and i'm still cooking. [laughter] >> steve ford, linda johnson rob and jenna and barbara bush on growing up in the white house sunday evening at 7:30 eastern and pacific. it's part of four days of american history right through christmas day on c-span3. >> i think that the idea, and it was promoted in certain articles, and i think there was a conflation of politics because joel, who created the show, is a, is a, you know, a public conservative. i mean, the spectrum of political

. >> for years, dwight david eisenhower was viewed as a man who was disengaged and bumbling and he loved to golf other than govern. according to a book, ike's bluff, his secret battle to save the world. beneath that was an exterior was a man and this former general's greatest victory were the wars he did not fight. joining me now is journalist and author evan thomas. dwight eisenhower it's said that he was the only president we had who the title president was not the greatest title he ever had. >> when are he quit, he wanted to revert to being general. jfk couldn't believe it? why would he want to give up president for a title. he was an army man and served in his army. >> why did he get a reputation for being this disengaged president? >> partly by his own design. he felt he could be more effective by not being a giant ego himself and letting the other egos clash and he came in and settled it. >> one of the things you talk about is all the wars. you are quoting eisenhower directly. i have spent my in the study of military strength and a deterrent to war. dwight eisenhower said this befo

white house because nixon had left so quickly so unexpectedly, left his daughter and son-in-law david eisenhower to pack all their clothes and belongings and literally took seven or eight days. we had to go back to our little house in alexandria virginia, suburbia you know the neighborhood was surrounded by secret service. we have had been living there as dan was vice president and i will never forget that, my mom was cooking dinner. literally we were sitting around the dinner table and mom is cooking dinner and she looked over at my dad and she goes jerry, something is wrong here. [laughter] you just became president of the united states and i'm still cooking. >> defense secretary leon panetta says acting forces on track to take the lead in securing our country next year. speaking at the national press club, he says the u.s. military will be smaller and leaner in the future. we will show you as much of this hour-long event as we can before the u.s. senate. >> good afternoon. welcome to the national press club. my name is theresa werner and i'm the 105th president of the national press club. [ap

because nixon had left so quickly, so unexpectedly, they left their daughter and son-in-law, david eisenhower, to pack all their clothes and belongings. literally took seven or eight days. we had to go back to our little house in alexander virginia, suburbia, munich, the neighborhood was surrounded by secret service. we been living there. dad was vice president. i've never forget that night mom was cooking dinner. literally, we are -- [laughter] -- sitting around the dinner table and mom is cooking dinner, and she looked over at my dad and she said, jerry, something is wrong here. [laughter] >> you just became president of the united states and i'm still cooking. [laughter] >> steve ford and jenna and barbara bush on growing up in the white house. sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. eastern and pacific. it's part of american history tv right through christmas day on c-span3. >> senator daniel inouye died monday at the age of 88. senator inouye, and world war ii medal of honor recipient spend 50 years in the senate. members of the public will be allowed to view his casket in the rotunda. friday at 10:

because nixon had left so quickly, so unexpectedly, they left their daughter and son-in-law, david eisenhower, to pack all their clothes and belongings. it literally took seven or eight days. we had to go back to our little house in alexandria, virginia, suburbia, the neighborhood was surrounded by secret service. we had been living there dad was vice president. and i'll never forget. that night mom is cooking dinner. literally, we're sitting around the dinner table, and mom is cooking dinner, and she looked over at my dad and goes, gerry, something is wrong here. you just became president of the united states and i'm still cooking. >> steve ford, linda johnson robb, and jenna and barbara burks on growing up in the white house, sunday evening. part or four days of american history tv, right through christmas day on c-span 3. >> reaction to the newtown, connecticut, school shootings continued today on capitol hill. from the senate floor, this is 40 minutes. >> mr. president, we appear to be in one of those periods of time where we're walking too often through the valley of the shadow of death.

families can be a little touchy about the great man and their family, but the eisenhower's were amazing with me. john, susan, david are completely open, not defensive, which is unusual. incredibly helpful and i could not have done this book without them. so thank you, susan. six weeks after dwight eisenhower became president, stalin died. paik caught together top advisers and officials in that, what's the plan? .. is >> little bit like colonel sanders of kentucky fried chicken. was clearly a figure. ike was rooting for the general, the head of the red army was ike's ally in defeating the nazis in world war ii. eisenhower sent his son john out to do a little spying. john seidel up to him. things are not as they seem. president eisenhower did not find out who was really in charge until the fifth day of the conference, when ike proposed what he called his opened scottish plan. the big fear in those early days of the nuclear age was a surprise attack. so ike proposed that each country on the other countries to fly over head to take any preparation of an attack. the soviet delegation initially seemed like the idea, but

interestingly, after the bay of pigs failed, president kennedy called ex-president eisenhower and asked to meet at camp david. kennedy was totally distraught. he wept the morning of the failure of the bay of pigs. this is a day later, and eisenhower starts questioning president kennedy how did you talk to the joint chiefs? how did you talk to the military? did you quiz them? did you make sure they were in the same room? it becomes clear that kennedy didn't really question the regimes, and he was unable to hear what i think was a secret dog whistle which goes like this. the pentagon says, it's okay. what they mean it it's a cia operation, not our responsibility. kennedy, who had been a lieutenant in the navy, what did he know, couldn't hear that, and unfortunately thought that the joint chiefs were signing off on the operation when they were not really. what they really said is it's not our responsibility, and so it's a very revealing colloquy between kennedy and ike where ike basically says to kennedy, you know, the next time you do this, make sure you really talk to everybody and have a real debate about it

kennedy calls eisenhower after the bay of pigs and they go off to camp david together to talk about whatpened and kennedy says, you know, no one knows how tough it is until you've been in it for a few months. eisenhower sort of shakes his head and said, forgive me, mr. president, i tried to warn you about that a couple monthst ago. >> of course sometimes it takes much longer, sometimes eight years, sometimes the assassination of another member of the club to get eisenhower and truman talking. >> they meet again, having -- truman did not step foot in the white house. he and eisenhower had such a feud after the 1952 election. until the kennedy assassination. they find themselves sharing a ride together back from the funeral. in that atmosphere, that's when you bury the hatchet. truman said, you want to come up for a drink? and the two end up spending the afternoon and evening drinking together and reuniting. >> and in this what do i do now moment as presidents explains after they leave they're so much more forgiving of those who come after them. like he said, i don't believe our country sh

david musher. if i recall correctly, i believe it was the eisenhower administration that put in the interstate highway system. i might be mistaken. >> that's right. yeah, they started it off. >> is there, is there a way in which -- or do you think there is a way in which the federal government could provide an infrastructure such that the automobile industry could shift to natural gas, for example, or even batteries if they wish, if people wished to have that on a national, on a national way? >> so the government has already provided grants to battery companies, and last week another one went bankrupt, a123 battery company. compact power red -- run by lg is another company laying off workers, so i'm not sure that the government has a role. .. natural-gas is so expensive now that private companies have the incentive to do this, and of government just picks one of these nitpicks charging up the vehicle in people's homes which is one way to go or charging of the vehicles that gas stations were probably taking a nap to draw the wrong kind of technology. just as though all these concerns about electronic m

. >> you guys can nine -- >> david, let me say you and sean and i are doing fine in america and nobody is complaining. and under eisenhower, under reagan, tax rates are higher than they are now. >> reagan dropped them to 28%. >> what you are saying is historically not true. >> reagan went from 70 to 28% top marginal rate. >> i speak not with forked tongue, juan. i have the data. >> but i'm telling you as a matter of history tax rates have been higher and the country's economy has boomed. the country continued to boom. >> there are so many regulations -- >> all right, let me stop you first because i want to get you in. >> you don't want to talk about the need to have some kind of fairness and equity. >> i want to -- i want to -- hang on. we have barack obama in 2008 said that he with are taking a credit card to the bank of china in the name of our kids. he said then we had $9 trillion in debt. now we have over 16. he called $9 trillion reckless, irresponsible and nonpatriotic. so my question to you is, i think this issue, and this is for the republicans politically, this to me is now a national morale issue. >> it is. >> t

david petraeus steps down after admitting to cheating on his wife. tonight new information on his stunning resignation and the latest developments. >> there is a theory that, look, come on, we had great generals, mcarthur, patton, eisenhowerclinton, they all had unfairs. what do you say to that? >> well, i don't think the idea -- the problem is that general petraeus had an affair. i think the idea and the big problem is that he was director of the cia and he walked into right into one of the most blackmailable situations you can have. it's good the u.s. found out about it before the russians or chinese. it's not that he's a general messing around, and according to the code of the justice that's not allowed. >> teetering on the edge of the fiscal cliff with just 36 days to go until tax increases kick, in the white house and congress are playing a high stakes game of let's make a deal. >> only in america believes there has to be this what i believe to be really farce ical now surely -- the nature of the world is very fast moving, america has huge economic problems, heading for another fiscal cliff, everyone laughing at you from afenway park the american public sick and tired of all the games going on and there are you, grov

david petraeus is still dominating the headlines with his alleged affair and this behavior. relating to the book, what my first thought was when this happened when it came out was, during world war ii, general eisenhower was having a long-term affair with an attractive young british driver named kay summersby l.. what general hires a young female model to be his aide if you will instead of a major captain or medal winner? imagine if eisenhower's affair came out during world war ii and its happen has happened with petraeus, what if we got rid of -- before d-day? franklin roosevelt was having affairs. franklin roosevelt had two very long-term affairs. one with missy lehand ,-com,-com ma his personal aide and secretary and cook and dresser-rand undress her apparently too. what if we found out about fdr's misbehavior and what if we threw fdr out of office as the economy was recovering? all the way back to the french and indian war, very young george washington was writing romantic letters to a woman who was not mrs. washington. her name was sally terry fairfax, very attractive, older, sophisticated woman. what if washington letters have become public during the french and indian war or the revolutionary w