Posted on 08/09/2014 5:41:41 AM PDT by Kaslin
During his farewell remarks in the White House East Room on August 9, 1974, President Richard Milhous Nixon told the truth.
Nixon remains a controversial and tarnished historical figure. But his impact on America was significant. Only Franklin Roosevelt’s name appeared on as many national ballots (five). His presidency, though now remembered by many for the way it ended, was actually filled with great achievement and success in many ways. Nixon was a brilliant visionary.
But he also had a weakness.
It was a failure to tell the truth that became Nixon’s undoing. The highly publicized tapes of what he thought would remain private conversations revealed that shortcoming. Nixon really did have enemies, but he later acknowledged that he was the one who gave them the sword to use with relish.
Forty years ago this weekend, I was a few days away from beginning my first year of college and was finishing up a summer job at a Taylor, Michigan menswear store. I asked my boss if I could leave a bit early on August 8th, and he asked me why. I told him that I wanted to watch the President’s speech. I made it home just as the living room clock chimed nine times. The image of President Nixon came on the screen, and he began: “Good evening. This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office.”
My mother was crying. Mom and Dad were Nixon people since voting for him when he was Vice President under Eisenhower. I was an “Alex P. Keaton” type of kid who often defended Nixon to my high school teachers. Fortunately for me, the summer of 1974 began and school was out by the time I finally realized that Watergate indeed involved Nixon, saving me from a litany of condescending voices saying, “I told you so.”
However my interest in Nixon, his work and legacy, did not end when he waved, flashed a victory sign, and got into Marine One on the White House lawn. I wrote about him in graduate school, and years later had the privilege of writing some for his library in Yorba Linda, as well as doing some of the voice-over work that continues to be used in a few exhibits there.
As we note the 40th anniversary of Nixon’s resignation, I think it’s what the man said to his staff and other assembled guests that continues to resonate with me. It was an unusual address for someone who was a master at extemporaneous speaking.
Among the gifts and passions possessed by the 37th President of the United States was a love for the English language. He was a wordsmith and actually quite good at it, in spite of the fact that his White House staff included a stable of excellent speechwriters. Not since Woodrow Wilson had a president been so involved in writing his own speeches. And Nixon never used a teleprompter.
When Nixon spoke that Friday morning, just after signing his resignation letter for Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, there were about 300 people in the East Room. I watched it on television, along with millions of others.
His remarks were at times rambling and mawkish. His tone wasn’t defiant like when speaking in 1962 after losing the race for Governor in California, when he talked about not having him to “kick around” anymore. But it was somewhat painful to watch.
After talking about mountains, valleys, young people, his “Old Man,” and his saintly mother, Mr. Nixon shared words that are worth remembering no matter what our lot in life. They were likely among the most self-aware words Nixon ever uttered in public:
“Remember, always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you. But those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.” [Emphasis added]
In a very real sense, Richard Nixon explained Watergate in that moment. He was a man with the capacity for greatness, one of the smartest men ever to hold the nation’s highest office. But he wrestled with a very common problem: Unresolved anger.
I could be wrong, but I wonder if that day, as Nixon was talking about his Quaker mother, he wasn’t remembering something she had most certainly taught her gifted son. It was what Jesus said, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” [Matthew 5:44].
I have a framed copy on my office wall. It was a painful day for me. Frankly but for a short respites in the 80’s and 2000s, it serves to remind me how the enemies of the nation have grown in power, prestige, and worse of all acceptance.
The Day that Nixon saved Israel. http://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/thirty-six-years-ago-today-richard-nixon-saved-israel%E2%80%94but-got-no-credit/
Nixon’s greatest crime was defeating McGovern in a nationwide landslide. No one in the press voted for him and they didn’t know anyone who had.
Clearly Nixon had to be punished.
I wonder whether he would have been impeached had there been other living Presidents at that time; specifically LBJ. LBJ was a real criminal and I wonder whether Republicans could have played off that foil to Nixon’s advantage. Making Donald Sagretti a criminal for sending delivery pizza to a Democrat cocktail fundraiser was about as nefarious as a lot of the charges against Nixon got.
must be a slooow news day- or better yet, they have
circled around from this list- and gone back to
the Top:
1. Nixon was the worst president and Evil personified
2. Bush 1- Evil warmonger
3. Bush 2- More evil than his dad- and incompetent too
4. Not president- but the Mastermind of Evil-Dick Cheney
5. Ronald Reagan - Dumb,bad actor, Evil- got rid of our
good friends at the kremlin-
6. Go back to number 1 and repeat
There have been an increasing number of stories about Nixon lately - either comparing Nixon with Obama or explaining why Nixon was so much worse than Obama.
You know things are bad for Obama when his apologists are reduced to trying to convince the public that he isn’t quite as bad as Nixon.
The truth is that Obama’s lawlessness compared to Nixon’s transgressions make Nixon look like a rascally school boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
It is so true that hate and envy are self-destructive emotions. You see it a lot in liberals - hate and envy. It is written all over their scowl-lined faces. And they are by and large miserable people as a result.
This was indeed Nixon's fatal flaw. He allowed his hate and envy to get the better of him and it destroyed him. He finally realized it at the end but it was too late to save him. Otherwise Nixon was a decent man.
The Current FReepathon Pays For The Current Quarters Expenses?
Nixon’s greatest crime wasn’t Watergate. It was taking us off the silver standard. Now US dollar has no intrinsic value.
There can never be doubt but that Nixon’s brilliant presidency was destroyed by enemies of our beloved country. These are the same enemies with the same mantra that has brought a devout enemy into the very seat of power. That a preponderance of Americans believe the deceptions of these fellow travellers speaks to their ruination of our culture.
President Nixon With The Real King 
We see this with Obama vs Bush.. to the media Obama can do no wrong..and Bush could do no right.
There were people with power out to get Nixon from day one and he gave the the window.
I wonder if the pResident will EVER have a day when he tells the truth.
So, Sir, could you please share with all of us your stalwart opinions of the presidents u left out during that timeframe. How bout Kennedy, LBJ, Carter, Clinton and Obama?
We are all breathlessly waiting for your peerless judgment I’m sure?!
Clearly you don’t understand sarcasm when you see it. The poster was repeating a lib talking point.
The Libertarian Party was founded in 1971, when Nixon imposed wage + price controls, which was a sure sign of impending tyranny.
The only thing that was different about Nixon from your standard big government liberal, was that he was an anti-communist.
He was.
George W. Bush was a Republican on the Nixonian model.
W gave us Medicare Drug program
W gave us government paid mortgage down payments.
W gave us the Too Big to Fail bank bailout.
W was a Big Government Republican like Nixon.
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