Thomas Eagleton, One of The Good Guys

Thomas Eagleton died this week-end and I just happen to have admired him greatly. I never met the man, but I remember very clearly seeing the kind of man that he was. He was the 1972 VP candidate for the Democratic party, when dirty politics openly rared it's ugly head in American Presidential campaigning. It was discovered that Senator Eagleton had sought treatment for depression, and of course the opposing party was certainly not above capitalizing on that fact. I, was not of voting age at the time, but we were having a "mock" election in our American history class and we were following these current events, diligently. First, I wondered, that since psychiatry was supposed to be a recognized branch of medicine, why it was treated differently than say any other problem for which one might seek a medical professional. So, were these so called professionals, really just charlatans that couldn't claim a clean bill of health for their patients? And what about the intrusion into this man's personal life? Oh, that's right it was America's business to know this. Does anyone know if any of Mr. Cheney's heart problems have been stress related? But back to Mr. Eagleton, who truly was a class act far above those that were dealing against him. Remember the "break-in" at the Democratic headquarters in Washington D.C., through that same time frame? Of course, Mr. Eagleton's mental health grabbed the head lines at the time, and he withdrew from the race. He continued, however; to serve in Senate until the late 1980's and then returned to St. Louis, where he taught and remained a political commentator until his death. I can't say that I agreed with all of his policies and ideas, but I did agree with many of them, particularly his comment regarding the Attorney General appointment in 2001. But as far as I'm concerned, this man completely proved that his mental state was stable, as he continued to serve in Senate and teach for the next 35 years, unlike the careers of the "stable politicians" that attempted to destroy him. And what became of the people that tried to ruin him, politically? Remember Watergate?

and be sure your sin will find you out.