Barry Goldwater had been dismaying his old allies with some of his recent stands--e.g., in favor of gays in the military, against restrictions on abortion. The question before the house is: What's up with Barry? It is Mr. Edwards's contention that Senator Goldwater has personalized these issues--influenced by his first wife (a founder of Planned Parenthood) and by a gay grandson. Nonetheless, "I call him the most important loser in American politics.... Nobody's going around saying: 'I'm standing on the shoulders of Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern.' And yet Republicans are going around and saying: 'We're standing on the shoulders of Barry Goldwater.' "