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¶ Ev Dirksen came to the White House, theoretically escorting a Boys' Clubs of America prizewinner, sashayed forth to announce, again from the White House steps, that he had the leader's job won.
By that time the Senate's Eisenhower Republicans agreed that it all seemed confusing. They were about to slate Vermont's Aiken for leader and California's Thomas Kuchel for assistant leader. But with defections such as that of Kentucky's Morton, they could not quite count enough votes. And they were sure to be able to count even fewer for so long as Ike continued to throw his weight toward "unity" behind Senate Republicans who had consistently opposed him.