Rehabilitating Sen. McCarthy
Scruton was mistaken in calling for the rehabilitation of Sen. McCarthy. His conclusion followed from the equally mistaken premise that McCarthy became the pariah he is today because he was an ardent anti-communist. Wrong.
McCarthy ruined thousands of lives by his baseless accusations. McCarthy conducted his campaign of slander and vilification shielded by his own high office and congressional immunity--he didn’t fight fair. Very few Americans thought communism made any sense, but most of us saw McCarthy for what he was: un-American.
EDWARD J. COSTELLO JR.
Los Angeles
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