But it is, above all, Dwight D. Eisenhower to whom Republicans should be looking for sound political wisdom these days. Part of Ike’s great popularity stemmed from his 1952 campaign promise, if elected, to go to Korea and see for himself what was happening. This infuriated Harry S. Truman, who said that if Ike had a plan to end the war it was his duty to give it to the president. Ike ignored him, went, saw and, with the keen eye of a five-star general, surveyed the forbidding terrain. This war wasn’t winnable, he determined, at least not without using atomic weapons, not as long as the Chinese were willing to keep on fighting. He came home and ended the Korean War in about six months with an armistice that is still in effect today. In short, he understood that if you can’t win a war, the faster you get out of it the better. He answered criticism from the right wing of his own party by remarking simply, “The war is over, and I hope my son is going to come home soon.”