The Republicans' New Road to Victory

Several weeks ago, Senate Minority Leader Dirksen bitterly advised Congressional critics of the Administration that the U.S. defense of the anti-Communist regime in Saigon was indispensible to American security. At that time, it was understood that Mr. Dirksen was standing in as the main Congressional spokesman for the President's hopelessly mired strategy for peace in Southeast Asia. This Thursday, Dirksen decided to stop playing ball with Johnson.

Neatly reversing his field, Mr. Dirksen accused his onetime ally in the White House of doing too little "to exploit" diplomatic opportunities for peace. There is no doubt that Mr. Dirksen is correct. Several times in the past two years--most notably during the Tet truce in early 1967--President Johnson has spurned what appeared to be enemy peace talk overtures. It should be recalled, of course, that in February, President Johnson's refusal to trigger talks by stopping the bombing was supported by Senator Dirksen.

Surprisingly, Mr. Dirksen refused to say specifically what he would do to the policy if he were in charge. In his Thursday talk, he stopped short of requesting a bombing halt and limited his insights into the future to the comment that the opportunities for peace would be enhanced if a Republican were elected President next year.

This should not astound President Johnson. For Mr. Dirksen is at least as consistent a party booster as he is a leader of Congressional reactionaries on foreign policy. Mr. Johnson should realize, however, that the hawkish wing of the G.O.P.--epitomized by the snake-haired Illinoisan--is seriously tinkering with the idea of proclaiming their candidate, most likely Richard Nixon, an apostle of peace as a 1968 election maneuver.

In short, there are mounting indications the G.O.P. will run on a nebulous peace platform in 1968 as it did so successfully in 1952. At best, a G.O.P. candidate might outline some specific proposals to end the war. But this is unlikely though, and probably even unnecessary.

But whatever specific strategy the Republicans choose, it is now fairly certain that G.O.P. leaders have concluded that the country is sick of the war and eager to disengage from Vietnam in some manner. This does not augur well for the President either in his primary races against Senator McCarthy or in his fall campaign against the G.O.P. should he be renominated.

The President may, of course, opt for some sort of sharp escalation early next year to give the illusion that peace is on the way. But it is unlikely that the nation, as a whole, would buy such a performance. It is the Republicans who are exploiting Mr. Johnson's real vulnerability and if their purposely ambiguous pitch for peace sways a majority, they might even begin to think of non-military steps to end the war.