No skeletons were rattling in his closet, Thomas Eagleton assured George McGoverns political director. But only eighteen days laterafter a series of damaging public revelations and feverish behind-the-scenes maneuveringsMcGovern rescinded his endorsement of his Democratic vice-presidential running mate, and Eagleton withdrew from the ticket. This fascinating book is the first to uncover the full story behind Eagleton's rise and precipitous fall as a national candidate.Within days of Eagleton's nomination, a pair of anonymous phone calls brought to light his history of hospitalizations for nervous exhaustion and depression and past treatment with electroshock therapy. The revelation rattled the campaign and placed McGovern's organization under intense public and media scrutiny. Joshua Glasser investigates a campaign in disarray and explores the perspectives of the campaigns key players, how decisions were made and who made them, how cultural attitudes toward mental illness informed the crisis, and how Eagleton's and McGovern's personal ambitions shaped the course of events.Drawing on personal interviews with McGovern, campaign manager Gary Hart, political director Frank Mankiewicz, and dozens of other participants inside and outside the McGovern and Eagleton campsas well as extensive unpublished campaign recordsGlasser captures the political and human drama of Eagleton's brief candidacy. Glasser also offers sharp insights into the America of 1972mired in war, anxious about the economy, ambivalent about civil rights.