Dick was a liar: “I have a secret plan....”
Nixon was guilty of participating with the coverup afterwards when Dean and others (Bob Haldeman, etc.) convinced Nixon that coming clean about the Watergate break-in was a bad idea.
Then Nixon had to go and erase the 19 minutes of tape where he incriminated himself about going along with the coverup.
But Nixon got us out of Vietnam, and Nixon opened up trade with China (probably a bad thing in the long run, but quite a diplomatic coup at the time,) and through Kissenger almost brought about peace in the Middle East between the Arabs and Israel.