Nixon should never have resigned! He should have fought the "slime media-Democrats". Because he did not fight back, we have the Democrats using smear tactics yesterday, today, and tommorow. Clinton did much worse and never even felt guilty.
Nixon had completely lost the support of his own party. The Democrats had a huge majority in the House and the Senate, he was going to be impeached and removed. Goldwater and others went to visit him a few days before he resigned to inform him that he could not survive and that even they were inclined to vote against him on some of the articles of impeachment.