Which Was Worse: Watergate or Operation 'Fast and Furious'?

After The Washington Post broke the news of the Watergate break-ins in 1972, the Nixon administration circled the wagons. And in 1997 – a full 25 years after the fact – Katherine Graham, who was with The Post in 1972, vividly recalled how “Nixon began making threats of economic retaliation against the paper.”

According to Graham, Nixon bullied the paper, sought to silence it, and launched a “campaign to undermine public confidence in [it].”

Judging from what Graham said, it appears that Nixon wanted to be sure people understood that if they continued to pry into Watergate or talk about Watergate or break news about Watergate as it unfolded, there would be harsh ramifications. (Keep in mind – Nixon had nothing to do with planning Watergate. Only with covering it up once he learned of it after the fact.)

Honestly folks, Watergate provided the Left with such a singularly sweet opportunity to bring down a Republican president that they’ve never gotten over it.

As recently as 2004, MSNBC sent reporters to the streets to be sure up and coming generations had not forgotten what Nixon had done. (I don’t want to belabor the point, but Nixon had nothing to do with planning Watergate. Only with covering it up once he learned of it after the fact.)

Operationally Fast and Furious reminds me more of Iran Contra.

I have no objections to Iran-Contra as its purpose was to help the Nicaraguan freedom fighters fight communism. Iran Contra had a noble objective. Fast and Furious is as dumb as it gets.

But both did involve shipment of weapons across borders.

The only Watergate connection is the cover up. Who knew what and when ?

Watergate occurred because Nixon and his people believed someone on the Democrat side had opened up an illegal independent channel of communication with the North Vietnam negotiators in Paris. Nixon believed it most likely was someone in the McGovern camp(his opponent in the upcoming)and that if such evidence existed it would most likely be at Watergate offices the plumbers targeted. If found it would provide the smoking gun needed to sway the pending election Nixon’s way. While wrong about the McGovern camp, Nixon was right about the independent illegal channel of communication with the North, and that it was someone from the Democrat side. Evidence in recent years has emerged which strongly indicates it was a young anti war protestor who was in Paris at the time and had unexplained trips to Moscow who had opened up such direct illegal communications with the North...on behalf of what over time proved to be his prime political benefactor, Senator Ted Kennedy.

In the end, Nixon’s motives were to secure a peace settlement that would not throw South Vietnam to the wolves. As years past top North Vietnamese government officials and negotiators admitted every time they were on the verge of seeing not choice but to agree to the hard demands being made by Kissinger because of the pressure of unrelenting bombing campaigns being carried on major targets in the North, our domestic anti war activists always seem to inspire them to hold out until they got the terms they ended up with...which essentially neutered and abandoned the South. The actual direct and consequential result which objectively has to be laid at the feet of the antiwar activists is that millions eventually lost their lives all over South East Asia. Millions!

Motives aside, Nixon and his private operatives broke the law and deserved what they got. That said, far from being a private venture, Fast and Furious was conceived and implemented at the behest of an official government agency which involved forcing private businesses to break the law. Knowing beforehand that the unavoidable consequence would be that some people would die.

So do these:
US CODE TITLE 18 PART I CHAPTER 13 § 241. Conspiracy against rights

If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or
If two or more persons go in disguise on the highway, or on the premises of another, with intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege so secured—
They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

US CODE TITLE 18 PART I CHAPTER 13 § 242. Deprivation of rights under color of law

Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

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