The combination of hot air and cold political calculation can stir up a squall in almost any year, and such were the ingredients of the storm that swirled around the head of Vice President Richard Nixon. The cold calculation came from the Democrats, who have long made Nixon their favorite target. The hot air came principally from columnists and other pundits who reasoned that the Democrats had made Nixon a political liability and therefore Ike might drop him from the ticket. For Nixon, it was like being in the eye of a hurricane.
Last week President Eisenhower dispelled the storm...