This book explores how and why Vietnam loomed so large for Humphrey as vice president from 1964 through the 1968 election campaign against Richard Nixon. It assesses how Humphrey's loyalty to Lyndon B. Johnson, who emerges as the villain of the story in many ways, would negatively affect his political ambitions. And it engages the disconnect between Humphrey's principles and the intricate politics of his convoluted relationship with the president and his unsuccessful presidential campaign. It is a complex and frustrating narrative, the results of which would be tragic, not only for Humphrey's presidential aspirations, but also for the war in Southeast Asia and the future of the United States.

Introduction: "The Graveyard of Presidential Ambitions"

Chapter 1: The Happy (Cold) Warrior
Chapter 2: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Chapter 3: The Recruiting Sergeant
Chapter 4: "When the Gods Wish to Punish Us..."
Chapter 5: "An Acceptable Risk for Peace"

Conclusion: Humphrey's Faustian Bargain

Acknowledgments
Bibliography
About the Author