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Actually, having heard "The Red Hunter" tapes, McCarthy was turned on by, of all people, Ike. McCarthy led the mandate on ridding DC of several hundred beaurocrats who were card carrying members of the Communist Party, or similar organizations.

Ike took up the Cause. When he was elected, there was a great purging. But McCarthy wasn't satisfied. He didn't believe the purging was thorough enough. And apparently, Federal documents backed him up, if I'm not mistaken. Ike had already declared victory and didn't want to fire any more communists. They had run-in.

And then, it got ugly. McCarthy's top advisor, according to the tapes I read [based on William F. Buckley Jr.'s book], didn't like being in conflict with Ike and drifted away. A new top advisor filled the gap, a closet homosexual, who had a sodomy partner in the military. The new advisor tried to bully members of the military into helping his 'close friend' get a transfer and a promotion. When Ike's team heard about that, it was over. McCarthy, ever loyal, refused to believe any accusations like that, and stayed loyal to his new advisor.

As I see it, Ike was no saint. At the same time, McCarthy blew it big time. It's hard to put a halo on a guy like that. However, he's no demon, either. FReegards....