The Kennedy Question

With George McGovern's delegates proliferating, many Democrats have assumed that he could be denied the presidential nomination only if a convention draft could be engineered for Edward Kennedy. But for months Kennedy has disavowed any interest in making the run this year--a reluctance that gained some emphasis after the shooting of George Wallace. But last week, by a series of delphic and almost flirtatious statements, Kennedy seemed to be inserting himself back into the 1972 race.

First the Boston Globe published a story speculating that Kennedy might accept the vice-presidential nomination on a ticket with George McGovern. "It would be presumptuous of me to turn down something that nobody has offered," Kennedy was quoted as saying.

As soon as the Globe story was out, Kennedy met Capitol reporters and declared emphatically: "I am not a candidate for President nor would 1 accept a draft, nor am I a candidate for Vice President nor would I accept a draft." Then, in immediate contradiction, he remarked that if his presence on the ticket were critical to victory in November, he "of course" would consider running for Vice President.

What did that mean? That he meant to signal McGovern that he was available for second spot? If so, Kennedy might simply have called the South Dakotan or sent word through countless available intermediaries. That his own thinking on the entire subject remains ambivalent and imprecise? Perhaps. But presumably, if Kennedy would run for Vice President in order to ensure a Democratic victory in November, he would also run for President on the same grounds. Kennedy did not clarify matters when he said: "I would not exclude all possibilities."

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