The war in Vietnam provided the fuel for the political storms that swept across the United States during 1968. With the brutal conflict in Southeast Asia dragging on in late 1967, the Democratic Party saw an antiwar challenger to President Lyndon B. Johnson emerge in Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota. The revolt against Johnson enjoyed little support until the North Vietnamese launched the Tet Offensive in late January 1968. Though the attack resulted in huge losses for the enemy, the event shook American confidence in ultimate victory. Although President Johnson won the New Hampshire primary, McCarthy made a strong showing that underscored the president's vulnerability. Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York came into the race against Johnson in mid-March only to have the president announce his refusal to be a candidate for another nomination on March 31. Meanwhile, former vice president Richard Nixon was piling up delegates in the contest for...