Adlai Stevenson and American Politics

Résumé du livre

Prized for his wit and respected for an integrity rare in the rough-and-tumble of American politics, Stevenson was also faulted for his indecisiveness, evidenced in his lengthy ruminations over whether to run for the presidency in 1952, 1956, and even 1960, when John F. Kennedy won the Democratic nomination. A champion of U.S. responsibilities in world affairs, of the democratic process, and of honest efficient government, Stevenson has since the late 1960s come under fire from some historians for failing to speak out against the war in Vietnam and for showing little regard for civil rights or economic justice. Yet he could also be far-sighted: Stevenson was an early advocate of what we now know as Medicare and an early sponsor of the first nuclear test ban treaty.