That's a fair question, Dan. I think that in Ike's case he really was a man of integrity, and he was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in WW2, a war that pretty much everyone in the country was behind once we got in it. He did a masterful job of prosecuting the war, we saved the world from Hitler and he was rewarded w/ great affection from the American people and all of our allies. And rightly so, IMO.
He was a great Father figure for our country and very popular around the world, winning a world war is no small deal. He was an effective president in a time of (mostly) peace and prosperity, (1952-60), but also a reasuring character during the height of the Cold War when many Americans were frightened.
(I was not alive then and I'm no great scholar, so hopefully I got this essentially correct).
