Today is the 50th anniversary of a very historic White House speech, one that resonates to this day: Dwight Eisenhower's warning against "the military-industrial complex."

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex," Ike said that night. "The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

As a general, Eisenhower led the U.S. to victory in World War II. As president, he presided over an era of unprecedented prosperity, one also shadowed by nuclear weapons, Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union, civil rights abuses at home, and concerns about America's proper role in the world.

Eisenhower, days from being replaced by John F. Kennedy, tapped a sense of anxiety in his farewell address of Jan. 17, 1961, noting the nation now had "a permanent armaments industry" and warning not to let it threaten democratic liberty.

The key passage: