Jack Kennedy's choice of Lyndon Johnson as his vice-presidential candidate showed with brilliant clarity his ability to manipulate men and his commander's talent in using one kind of strategy and set of arguments to win the nomination—and another to win the election.
To win the nomination, he had courted Midwestern and Western Governors and Senators, dangling the vice-presidency, Cabinet jobs and key convention posts before favorite sons' eyes. But the November election called for a firm alliance with the Solid South to balance Kennedy strength in Roman Catholic industrial centers—and to save Kennedy from...
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