Johnson's commitment to legal equality for all races is very well known. Ironic that it took a Texan President who had a rather ambivalent position on race relations earlier in his career to pass the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act. I would say that LBJ was the only politician at the time with the force of personality and the political connections to make it happen. JFK wouldn't have been able to do it without dividing the country. I took off two stars because he never truly espoused the civil rights cause. For all the high and mighty language he used to advance this cause, behind closed doors, his acutal motivations were revealed. White House staffers have been quoted as hearing Johnson telling 2 governors in his office that the reason why supports civil rights so much is because he'll have them nig***s voting Democratic for 200 years. We must keep in mind that Johnson was a hard boiled politician who wanted to maximize gains for his party. He was no starry eyed idealist by any stretch of the imagination on these matters.
