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Doc, I was too young to be aware of Adlai Stevenson; though I found his book, Present at the Creation quite the read. There do seem some parallels between then and now, but also some differences. Since you were actually around, I'd be interested in your take. My Thoughts:
McCain is no Eisenhower. Eisenhower, for all his other faults, was probably the only candidate in recent times really ready to be C-in-C on day one. He was a leading general in the shared experience of WWII in a way that McCain or anyone else from the VietNam era will never be. His contemporary stature as a leader and "reluctant" politician is quite different from McCain.
This time around, a different party owns responsibility for an unpopular war. Back then, it was Truman and Korea. Now it is Bush and Iraq (always seem to keep forgetting about Afghanistan). Back then the cold war was raging; to date the Neocons have failed to paint their war as the new cold war despite attempts to equate the Terrorists to the USSR. Back in '52 the red-scare fear card was waxing and played very effectively. Now it seems like the fear card in 2008 has been played out, at least for now. Are we closer to '52 or to '60 or even '68?
And the young will vote as the young always do. It'll be over before they know it.
