Happy Birthday, William Milliken!

[longship]

2. Indeed, I agree

Millikan was cut from the same cloth as many outstanding Republicans. In my nearly 64 years I can name a few others:

* Sen. Edward Everett Dirkson (R-IL)

* Sen. Howard Baker (R-TN) most prominent in the Senate Watergate Hearings. Later married to yet another wonderful Republican,

* Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-KS) who I had the honor to vote for twice when I lived in KS, in spite of the fact that I was active in Dem politics and during one election a county Dem officer.

There have been many Republicans who have been good at governance. As a Michigander, I'd like to propose one more:

* George W. Romney -- Yup, that's Willard's papa, governor of MI from 1963-1969, just prior to Millikan's service as governor. I would suggest, although I have no data on this, that Romney's tenure set up Millikan's. Romney was also a moderate and MI at the time had gone through some pretty hairy shit. (Living in Detroit, I remember the smoke engulfing the city during the 1967 riots, with jeeps equipped with machine guns driving past my house.)

It took special kind of politicians to win in that environment. It helped that Detroit had a mayor of the caliber of Jerry Cavanagh and that the Tigers won the World Series in 1968. Millikan was part of the whole deal.

Indeed, Happy Birthday Governor Millikan.