McCarthy in Limbo

For a short time, he had seemed to stand near the focal point of American political life, but now Senator Eugene McCarthy is seeking the periphery.

Since his defeat at the Democratic Convention last summer, intimates have sensed in him a deep desire to retreat al most entirely from public prominence.

His support of Russell Long over Ted Kennedy for the post of Democratic whip amazed and angered many of his followers. But at least that move could be explained in personal and political terms: McCarthy holds no love for the Kennedys, and he was indebted to Long for past favors. Last week McCarthy wandered even further afield, puzzling friends and foes alike.

Abruptly, the erstwhile peace candidate announced that he was resigning his membership on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to allow the seating of Wyoming's Gale McGee, one of the Senate's most consistent hawks on the Viet Nam War. The move came on the heels of a Senate reorganization that pared down the number of committee members from 19 to 15.

Act of Magnanimity. When the com mittee stood at 19 members (twelve Democrats, seven Republicans), McGee was the next Democrat in line for membership. However, the reduction left room only for those Democrats already seated. Thus before McCarthy resigned, McGee seemed to be shut out. This could have been what Chairman William Fulbright, a leading dove, had intended when he pushed for the reduction, although his stated reason was to improve the efficiency of an un-wieldly committee. Perhaps no one was more amazed than McGee himself, who blurted: "I'm flabbergasted."

McCarthy's explanation for his decision was vague to the point of vacuity. Describing his move as an act of "magnanimity and benignity," McCar thy said he had stepped down so that the Democrats could "honor their commitment" to seat McGee and still reduce the size of the committee. He added: "Since the committee is not a legislative committee but one which should be an instrument by which the Senate can influence the policy of the Administration, it can be, I believe, much more effective if it is small in size."

Not So Clean. If the move startled his colleagues on Capitol Hill, it was sure to have even a more galvanic effect on the nation's campuses, where until recently, McCarthy had enjoyed al most deified status. In an editorial entitled "Not So Clean," the Harvard Crimson said the resignation "served to strengthen the impression held in not a few quarters that McCarthy has gone over the political deep end."

At week's end McCarthy lent credence to that assessment by choosing an assignment to the Government Op erations Committee. A relatively lowly panel, Operations nevertheless has achieved a great deal of publicity under such diverse chairmen as the late Joseph McCarthy and the present John McClellan. Why Government Operations for Eugene McCarthy? As cryptic as ever, he rejoined: "If the medium is the message, as McLuhan says, then, extending it to Congress, the operation is the policy."

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