Is There a Thaw in Our Politics?

A major trend seems to be at work in American politics. The consensus of support for the Vietnam War is well an the way to disintegration. For the first time, if the polls can be trusted, a majority of the people are prepared to express discontent with the war—though the political implications of this discontent are not yet, at this moment, clear.

The signs of discontent are, however, clear. Leading Republican politicians, like Senators Morton and Thurston, have attacked the President’s course in Vietnam, not because they are principled opponents of the war but because they are shrewd enough to see the erosion of popular support. Nelson Rockefeller is said to be considering a shift of line: a stronger weighting of the dove...