American Notes POLITICS

Eugene McCarthy has not won an elective office since Minnesota returned him to the U.S. Senate in 1964. He has lost two campaigns for the White House as a Democrat and one as an independent. Last week the Pied Piper of the 1968 antiwar crusade announced plans to extend his losing streak: at 72, he will run again as the presidential candidate of the little-known Philadelphia-based Consumer Party, which has never won an election.

Why the quixotic move? "Oh, the same reasons people always give when they run," he explained in typically languid fashion. "The proper issues aren't being presented; the people deserve a better choice." McCarthy has a book of essays due in August (Required Reading for 1988), and a campaign might help sales.