Opinion: Explaining McCarthy

Writers cannot shake their fascination with Eugene McCarthy, the moody Minnesotan who had the courage to challenge his party's President, then seemingly lacked the spine or energy to wage more than a languid, token campaign against Hubert Humphrey for his party's nomination. What kind of a man, they wonder, can reject frantic calls from campaign aides at key moments, first because he is watching the All-Star baseball game on television, next because he is playing softball with a group of nuns? What about his pettiness toward opponents, his long refusal to endorse...

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