"Nixon is finding out there are no tails on an Eisenhower jacket"

This quote by Adlai E. Stevenson is a funny jab at previous President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his follower, Richard Nixon. It suggests that Nixon is attempting to imitate Eisenhower's success, however is discovering that it is not as simple as it looks. The phrase "no tails on an Eisenhower jacket" is a metaphor for the absence of guidance and assistance that Nixon is receiving from Eisenhower. It recommends that Nixon is attempting to follow in Eisenhower's steps, but is not receiving any aid or recommendations from the previous president. The quote suggests that Nixon is having a hard time to discover his own way and is learning that it is not as basic as it might have seemed. It is a funny method of explaining the problems of being successful a popular president.