Nation: WALLACE'S ARMY: THE COALITION OF FRUSTRATION

CONSIDER his image. On the platform, his head barely rises above the bulletproof lectern he takes with him everywhere. On the TV screen, he comes over as a cross between Flem Snopes and Huey Long. An uninspired orator, with a set, almost unvarying speech, he seems intentionally to mangle his syntax and mispronounce words. Yet he is the only presidential candidate in the fall of 1968 who could be called charismatic.

Consider his campaign. It is perhaps the most amateurishly organized drive that any serious candidate has mounted in modern American history. In many cities, it is impossible to find...