David Broder praises Eugene McCarthy, who died two days ago. Although he died a bitter and unforgiving man, in 1968 you had to agree that McCarthy was an admirable, thoughtful, and learned fellow, even if you disagreed with him, which I did. He opposed the Vietnam War and Johnson, and because he did so well in the New Hampshire primary, Robert Kennedy--by now he repudiated his brothers war--entered the race. Kennedy won the California primary, but was killed on election eve. Powerline recalls one of the great and funny political lines of all time: A reporter asked McCarthy if he was upset that Kennedy had come in only after McCarthy had done the heavy lifting. McCarthys response: "You dont blame the molecules for obeying the laws of physics."
Let us remember also that McCarthy endorsed Ronald Reagan for president in October 1980, because McCarthy could see the unmitigated rot of the Carter presidency. He was also a consistent opponent of campaign finance reform, because he understood its threat to political speech. (Also, he could not have run his 1968 campaign under the current rules. I wonder what liberal sentimentalists think of that. . . if they think at all.)