Nation: THE RENUNCIATION

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McCarthy's impressive 57%-to-35% victory over Johnson in Wisconsin lost a lot of its luster after the President's withdrawal. "I feel as if I'm in a horse race and have made the turn for home and the other horse has jumped the rail and started eating grass," jested the Minnesotan. "It makes it a little embarrassing running for the wire alone." For the forthcoming primaries in Indiana, Nebraska, Oregon and California, he will have company—perhaps more than he wishes. Kennedy is the favorite to defeat him in all of them, and though McCarthy has made plans to triple his efforts for Indiana's May 7 test, he is hedging his bets by downplaying the election's significance. "You don't have to win every primary," he said. "You just have to make a good showing and win your share." McCarthy's best hope for winning his share, however, may be a Humphrey-Kennedy deadlock at the convention, leading to his selection as a compromise candidate.

Man of Surprises. During his talk with Kennedy, the President said that "the time may come" when he will want to express a preference. That should bring a lot of politicians down off the fence and have considerable bearing on the nomination.

In the meantime, the President seems more in command and more relaxed than at any time since the palmy days of 1964, when everything in L.B.J.'s garden seemed to be coming up roses. For the first time in months, he is free of the fear that his appearance in almost any city will provoke riots. In Chicago, spectators were unsure whether to applaud his presence, since that might have suggested pleasure at his withdrawal, and so they simply gawked; but there were no catcalls. When he visited New York City later in the week for the investiture of Archbishop Terence J. Cooke, he was applauded outside St. Patrick's Cathedral and given an ovation by the crowd of 5,000 inside. Among the guests in the cathedral, seated two rows behind Johnson and Luci, was Jacqueline Kennedy. As he left, he stopped to say a few words to his predecessor's widow, and was photographed with her in an exchange of warm smiles.

Before returning to Washington, Johnson whipped over to the United Nations for a hastily arranged 60-minute conference with Secretary-General U Thant. "Well," said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Arthur Goldberg to Thant of the unexpected call, "he's a man of surprises."

A Force to Reckon With. In the nine months remaining to him, Johnson is likely to spring quite a few more. One came just three days after his withdrawal, when he announced that he was flying to Hawaii for strategy conferences with Saigon-based U.S. diplomats and military leaders on Hanoi's offer to talk about talks. General West moreland flew to Washington instead for a weekend conference with the Pres ident. Said Westmoreland somewhat infelicitously: "I understand you have had a little trouble here yourself."