Rethinking tradition.

Susan Eisenhower is the granddaughter of U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower, the man who led the Allied forces to victory in World War II. In an article in The Washington Postf, she wrote that the 1994 D-Day celebrations seemed "not only outdated but wholly inadequate in today's international environment. The world is a very different place than it was 50 years ago. For a start, the Germans, the evil-incarnate enemy, are now a united, democratic country, an important U.S. ally and the linchpin of stability in Europe. In addition, one of the critical players on the Allied side no longer exists. The Soviet Union, which heroically beat back Nazi attempts to conquer it, has splintered into a mostly non-Communist multi-country region."

Both countries were excluded from the 50th anniversary D-Day celebrations. But Ms. Eisenhower feels they should have attended to help heal whatever wounds remain. Their presence, she claims, would underscore "that those allies who fought not only won the war against fascism, their ultimate sacrifice eventually paved the way for a new Europe of peaceful democratic countries."