The Hidden Johnson

George Packer notes that Wednesday is LBJ's centenary. It's a shame that the president who got Civil Rights through Congress -- surely the most important piece of legislation since WW2 -- is not being more widely honored. Johnson's legacy has suffered from his not being a very nice guy, and more substantially because of Vietnam; but Vietnam's over, and the consequences of Civil Rights are still with us.

At the very least, the fact that it's the Democratic Party that's nominating a black man for president is almost entirely due to Johnson. They ought to acknowledge that in Denver.

PS Like Packer, I basically assented to Hillary's infamous comparison between Johnson and King. And was delighted when it led to the following gem:

Earlier that day she had even attacked Obama using Mondale's famous line about Gary Hart, "Where's the beef?" But now she seemed to be shedding her private dismay that she could never be a charismatic politician like Obama or Kennedy, or her husband, and embracing her inner Johnson.