By Jean Edward Smith, Random House, New York, N.Y., 950 pages, $40
As the Republican presidential hopefuls travel the 2012 campaign trail, it is astonishing that Dwight D. Eisenhower’s name is heard so infrequently. Perhaps it is the passage of time. As recounted in Jean Edward Smith’s masterful biography, however, the two terms of Eisenhower’s presidency produced a record of peace and prosperity unmatched by any other GOP president of the 20th century. In elegant prose, Smith reminds us of the reasons why Eisenhower’s rich legacy is still relevant.
