This Is a Joke, Right?

We can find all kinds of things to criticize about the now-defunct Soviet Union.  But one area in which the Commies excelled was in monument building.  Man, did they know how to construct "a lasting reminder of something; an exceptional achievement."  Example: The "Motherland" monument in Kiev:

In a word, WOW.

So you're in charge of constructing a monument to honor and commemorate the life, deeds and works of a great American - Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Who would you hire to design it?  The "Motherland" architect, right?

Well, not if you're running the Eisenhower Memorial Commission. Then you'd choose the dude who designed this (a monument to a stack of empty IKEA cardboard boxes left out in the rain all winter?)

And what might you reasonably expect from this designer when he's put his thoughts - nightmares? - acid indigestion? - irritable bowel syndrome? - before you for your review?  How might he portray the victor of the European campaign against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy?  The president who faced down the Soviets in the Cold War?

This:

A Monstrosity, Not a Monument: Frank Gehry's design for the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington is an insult to all concerned.

Such the shock.