When a public figure passes on there always seem to be a couple new previously unheard stories that come out. Walter Cronkite's death brought out one of the more interesting examples of this phenominon that I can remember. Had this story come to pass it would have even altered the McGovern T-shirt in our shop. Evidently Walter Cronkite's name was thrown around for a very short time as a possible Vice Presidnetial candidate for George McGovern.
Here's the story from Frank Mankiewicz, the man who came up with the idea.
"I convened a group of top campaign officials to come up with some options for the candidate to consider as his running mate. Armed with a poll showing Walter Cronkite to be the most trusted man in America, I proposed that the senator put forward Walter Cronkite for vice president.
My idea met with instant, and unanimous, disapproval. He'd never accept, and we'd look bad, colleagues said. Our candidate would seem to be grasping at straws, I was told."
As it turns out Cronkite said that if offered the job he would "have accepted in a minute." There's really no telling how the pairing would have done, but I do have to admit I think a McGovern/Cronkite shirt would have been pretty cool.
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