Word: dirksens
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Even Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen, one of the President's most faithful congressional supporters, last week challenged him for the first time on his conduct of the war. "We urge again that this Administration-to a degree and with a vigor not yet evident-look beyond Viet Nam and consider where we shall stand and with whom we shall sit when this conflict ceases," said Dirksen in a joint statement with House Republican Leader Gerald Ford. "The Congress and the people have seen all too little evidence of genuine effort to explore and exploit the diplomatic opportunities available...
...gifts, including a $6,770 silver tea and coffee service from the Washington diplomatic corps, a nest of teak tables from Chiang Kaishek, a color sketch of Eeyore by Winnie-the-Pooh Illustrator Ernest Shepard (Lynda is a Pooh buff), and-from Republican Senate Minority Leader Everett Mc-Kinley Dirksen, of course-a small silver elephant...
Neatly reversing his field, Mr. Dirksen accused his onetime ally in the White House of doing too little "to exploit" diplomatic opportunities for peace. There is no doubt that Mr. Dirksen is correct. Several times in the past two years--most notably during the Tet truce in early 1967--President Johnson has spurned what appeared to be enemy peace talk overtures. It should be recalled, of course, that in February, President Johnson's refusal to trigger talks by stopping the bombing was supported by Senator Dirksen...
Surprisingly, Mr. Dirksen refused to say specifically what he would do to the policy if he were in charge. In his Thursday talk, he stopped short of requesting a bombing halt and limited his insights into the future to the comment that the opportunities for peace would be enhanced if a Republican were elected President next year...
This should not astound President Johnson. For Mr. Dirksen is at least as consistent a party booster as he is a leader of Congressional reactionaries on foreign policy. Mr. Johnson should realize, however, that the hawkish wing of the G.O.P.--epitomized by the snake-haired Illinoisan--is seriously tinkering with the idea of proclaiming their candidate, most likely Richard Nixon, an apostle of peace as a 1968 election maneuver...