Thomas Eagleton (1930-2007)

The passing of Thomas Eagleton, who was George McGovern's vice presidential running mate for 18 days in 1972, is worth noting for a couple of reasons.

First, Eagleton was dumped from the ticket after it was revealed that while he was then healthy, he previously had suffered from mental illness.

Second, the manner in which his ouster was handled is but one example of McGovern's star-crossed campaign, which ended in a landside re-election victory for Richard Nixon.

Dick Polman's take on Eagleton at American Debate is brief but informative. (Scroll down; it's the third item in an omnibus post.)