I had forgotten about former Senator George McGovern until his death was announced last week at the age of 90.

My memory of his brief appearance in American history as the candidate against Richard Nixon mostly concerned  his stunning defeat. McGovern took the electoral votes only of Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

Now I wish I had known more of him. He was the son of a Methodist minister and briefly considered the ministry for himself. According to reports, he remained a deeply committed Christian all of his life.

Many thought of him as a radical, joined in their minds with hippies who burned the American flag. Though McGovern fared poorly because of his opposition to the Vietnam conflict, he was not a pacifist. Like George H.W. Bush, he was a decorated veteran of World War II.

Richard Nixon became the president remembered for his resignation because of the Watergate scandal. McGovern, the loser, had spoken out against our military involvement in a small nation in Asia because he did not believe the country threatened us. Only later did so many others agree with him that Vietnam became a code word for failure.

Today, it is spoken when questions are raised about a proposed American military entry into a foreign country. Will it become another Vietnam? we ask. Perhaps that is George McGovern’s legacy.