A presidential withdrawal:

[H2O Man]

On Sunday evening, 3-31-1968, President Johnson addressed the nation in a televised speech on the Iraqi, er, Vietnam War. At the end of his prepared speech, he raised his hand -- a signal to his wife, who was strongly urging him to withdraw from the upcoming campaign -- and said that he did not want "the presidency to become involved in the partison divisions that are developing in this political year .... With our hopes and the world's hopes for peace in the balance every day, I do not believe that I should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal partisan causes or to any duties other than the awesome duties of this office -- the presidency of your country. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President."

How many DUers remember that strange and wonderful night? I am interested in what you remember about it! Thanks ....

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. I remember being shocked by it.

Never thought Johnson wouldn't run, but he had been so damaged by Vietnam. Which Tricky Dick (the SOB) only ratcheted up.

[H2O Man]

3. There's always been a question,

even after he gave the speech, if he actually wanted to be "drafted" at the Chicago convention. Of course, there were significant events in between the speech and convention. LBJ remains a tragic figure: he could have been one of the great presidents. But he couldn't understand the need to change courses in Vietnam.

[greatauntoftriplets]

8. We have LBJ to thank for Medicare and the Civil Rights Act..

Yes, he is a tragic figure in many ways.

[pretzel4gore]

5. in those days the dog wagged the tail...

and the neocon pigs (buckley etal) have been mouth FROTHING ever since! just after Johnson's announcement, ML King was murdered: in June Robbie Kennedy. By that time, i assumed the attack on liberalism would create reaction/rage among the herd....lol
they were, as we know, played like the fukken fiddle they are.
even if this planet dies, it's no loss.... not in terms of truth, beauty or wonderful hope.
generation of swine is right!

[Leilani]

2. I wish another Texan would follow the LBJ example

A caller on C-Span said Bush is a great Texas Prez just like LBJ.

I agree they are both alike...War Criminals.

[displacedtexan]

4. I was in total shock!

I couldn't believe my former Governor would actually cut and run. I had hoped that he would end the war and fight the republicans tooth and nail to save the Great Society programs.

I was 16 at the time.

[salonghorn70]

6. I Was a Soph at UT-Austin

I remember that I was taking a U.S. Hist course from a prof who hated LBJ. When the class met the next day after the speesh, the prof was in the best mood that I had ever seenhim in. He cracked jokes the entire hour.

[SheilaT]

7. I remember it.

I lived in Tucson, Arizona, at the time, working as a telephone operator. About two weeks earlier a military jet from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base had crashed into a grocery store, killing 5 or 6 people inside. On that evening the phone lines had lit up and wouldn't stop, and I didn't know why until several hours later when one caller told me what had happened.

On the evening of the LBJ announcement, the phone lines lit up exactly the same way, and my first thought was, "Oh, no, another plane crash!" I worked up the nerve after a while to ask one caller what was going on and he said, "Haven't you heard? Johnson's not going to run again."