Democratic Primaries

I was bracing for a lashing. High school, college, army, work, friends, veterans groups, I have never never heard anything but contempt for the man. Perhaps it's because I've spent most of my life in the north and among the "educated" middle class. (I doubt Johnson is particularly liked in the south, either-- you know, that "civil rights" thing.) The problem is I believe his passion really was domestic policy and that he believed he could quickly end Vietnam and get back to work at home. I believe he was cowed by educated "Eastern Establishment" liberals (the Kennedy mafia), and so trusted their wisdom on Vietnam. (The more moderate Kennedy advisors deserted LBJ immediately after the assassination.) Goldman's book stung at the time: LBJ's humiliation under the JFK people was real, and since my family was rooted in rural Texas rather than Cambridge, Mass., reading the book I felt humiliated along with LBJ. On my loyalty to the man, I know someone could ask, "Well, if Hitler did you a favor would you you feel loyal to Hitler, too?" My answer is simply, "Johnson wasn't Hitler."

Of course holding a press conference while sitting on the toilet isn't quite up to even MY forgiving cultural standards.


Edit: Isn't this thread supposed to be about Sanders?