I have always been a fan of MacArthur Park. In the spring of 1968, MacArthur was one of my heroes. His insistance that there was no substitute for victory and his willingness to sacrifice his career for his principles contrasted sharply with President Johnson's cravenness over the Pueblo incident, his "no win" policy in Vietnam, and his decision not to run for re-election and fight for his principles and policies. When MacArthur Park charted in May of that year, I was pleased to hear a song that referred not only to MacArthur but to a landmark in my native Southern California.
In the 1980's and 1990's, when the Westlake community of Los Angeles, where the park is located, was overrun with "Marielito" gangsters from Cuba, the song nostalgically evoked a time when young lovers could safely picnic in the park and old men could play checkers under the trees.
Duty, honor, country.