Since the March 20th hearing on “The Proposed Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial,” Philip Kennicott and The Washington Post’s editorial page have repeatedly mischaracterized my testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
In response to these inaccuracies, I submitted a letter to the editor which the Post published on April 12, 2012.
I am disgusted with the official decision to accept the Frank Gehry design — I refuse to write Eisenhower Memorial because it is not a memorial to Eisenhower but a monument to Gehry’s hubris. Gehry’s eccentric buildings have structural flaws and perhaps time and a bulldozer will erode his overrated reputation. He is the architect of the moment, fueled by a publicity machine and status-seeking talk show hosts.
I would like to remind everyone that during Congress’ gloomy and darkening days of the summer of 2011 two great Senators wrote an op-ed piece for the Washington Post seeking conciliation from our partisans – citing the words of President Eisenhower!
This is the quote I captured at the time:
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Howard Baker & Nancy Kassebaum Baker, “We can’t default on our commitments”, Washington Post, Op-Ed, July 18, 2011.
Here is what I can find on the newspaper site for a citation:
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We must avoid default
The Washington Post – Washington, D.C.
Author: Howard H Baker; Nancy Kassebaum Baker
Date: Jul 18, 2011
Start Page: A.15
Section: Editorial-Opinion
Text Word Count: 380
The prospect of default on the sovereign credit of the United States of America is so frightening, so significant, so sinister and so far-reaching in its impact that we can’t fail to deal with this issue.