E.J. Dionne, one of America's top political observers, pays triubute to the late Sen. Eugene McCarthy, one of Minnesota's top politicians, in a speech at St. John's University. McCarthy, whose 1968 presidential campaign galvanized the anti-Vietnam War movement, died two years ago.
St. John's University in Collegeville has put a very good name on its new Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. It will bear the name of the late Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy, the 1935 St. John's honors graduate who made his mark on the nation's history when he launched an anti-Vietnam War presidential bid 40 years ago this month.
The center, a joint enterprise of St. John's and its sister school, the College of St. Benedict, promises to bring Benedictine values of hospitality and stewardship to public policy work. That's an activity that could use more of those gentle graces.