MCViewPoint

On this day, March 31st, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson addressed the nation about Vietnam, outlining “Steps to Limit the War.” But the bombshell came at the end: “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.” LBJ’s war—a grinding, costly slog—had tanked his approval. Over 16,000 Americans were dead by ’68, with billions spent and no victory in sight. The public turned on him, and he knew it.

Time after time, candidates who pledge peace—like LBJ’s rival Eugene McCarthy—gain ground over war hawks.

The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania gets it: peace wins. Foreign adventurism bleeds us dry and sours the people. Prosperity and morality lie in non-intervention—bringing troops home, cutting war budgets, and letting nations sort themselves out. It’s the bold, popular path. Who’s ready to walk it?