national review thinks of itself as lacking neither in respect for the office of President nor in admiration for many of the men who have held it. But it is opposed to all egalitarian practices, including therefore leveling programs for ex-Presidents. We deplore—the more now that the office appears to be reserved for mediocrities—the emergent “tradition” of ministering indiscriminately to the egos of living ex-Presidents by such adulation as accompanied the unveiling of the Truman library. We favor a return to the age of postponing their monuments until history has had a little more time to pass judgment on their deeds.
Of Senator Kennedy it can be said—as Wilde said of America—that his youth is his oldest tradition. But he is plenty old enough to deserve Secretary Dulles’ implied reprimand for his recent irresponsible remarks on Algeria. And to invite the comment that maybe it does make a difference—well, some difference—whether U.S. foreign policy is being conducted by Democrats or by Republicans.
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