Reply #5: George McGovern has an unearned reputation as a screaming lefty

[MADem]

...but in actual fact, he was a moderate on defense issues. Remember, he flew 35 B-24 combat missions in the Army Air Corps during WW2. He knew what just war was, and he knew what unnecessary war was. The right managed to paint him as a total peacenik who would give away the store, but that was a false impression. Many people voting for him (or against him, for that matter) did not even realize what a distinguished military record he had, and he didn't play it up.