confession

I have a confession to make. I had no idea who Eugene McCarthy was. You say "Senator McCarthy" to me and I think of the McCarthy hearings. My first reaction when I heard that Senator McCarthy had died was, "I didn't realize he was still alive."

I had no idea that THIS McCarthy contributed to Lyndon Johnson's decision to pull out of the running for re-election for White House. I was under the impression that Johnson had been overcome by grief over the Vietnam War and just want to get the hell out of dodge.

But, no. Neither of the above. Eugene McCarthy was an idealist who spoke of morality in politics (huh? what's that?) and rallied young people to speak up and become leaders in social and political change. WHY DIDN'T I KNOW ABOUT HIM?

R.I.P Senator McCarthy.

(And R.I.P. to Richard Pryor as well. G-d bless.)