Editorial (from March 2016)

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was reluctant to run for president, but he wanted to ensure that Harry Truman's successor would continue the United States' commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.    He sought a promise from the likely 1952 Republican nominee, Robert Taft, that he would preserve the bipartisan support for NATO.  Taft failed to make such a commitment, and, in Eisenhower's view, seemed more interested in "playing politics."  Eisenhower felt he had no choice but to run for president and he secured the GOP nomination and won the 1952 election.

All succeeding administrations, including those of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and the two Bushes, considered NATO an important component of America's defense of its worldwide interests.  After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, America's NATO allies honored their commitments to common defense, considering the attacks to be an act of war.  NATO, designed primarily to counter a potential Soviet threat to Western Europe, provided the structure for America's allies to assist it in its war against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Donald Trump has brought America's commitment to NATO into question.  If elected, U.S. allies might not be able to count on American support if Russia acts aggressively.  Trump would sacrifice American honor and American interests for the sake of political expediency.​