Nomination for the greatest president: Richard Nixon

The Digital Collegian ^ | July 5, 1994 | Jeff T. Gorman

[Petronski]

Nixon was a fool...above all else because he refused to burn the tapes.

[caltrop]

No, you're mistaken. Had Reagan not been elected, there's no reason to think the Soviet Union (even weak and sick) wouldn't have continued to snooker America's leadership for an extended period of time. I served in a military assignment in the former Warsaw Pact and was told by my counterparts that Reagan's election was immediately recognized by the Soviet military leadership as the beginning of the end. It's impossible for me to imagine the election of, for example, the election of George H.W. Bush instead of Reagan eliciting anything other than a hearty laugh.

[laconic]

As I recall, the "weak" Soviet Union invaded AFghanistan in 1979, laughed while American hostages were taken in Iran in 1980, aided Castro in Africa and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua in the early 1990s and developed a series of new startegic weapons that had US defense planners on edge. I guess this "weakness" that brought the murderous mess down in 1990 just developed all of a sudden during the 1980s when Reagan "just happened" to be president. Must have been jimmycarter's doin'.

[caltrop]

Nixon also came up with revenue sharing, a truly hideous idea.

[x]

No. Nixon had a tough situation to deal with. It would have tried and tested any leader's patience, ability and resolve. So he won't be treated quite as shabbily by history as liberals have treated him. But he did make a mess of things and certainly won't be regarded as one of the best of Presidents.

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. -- Richard Nixon, Farewell Speech

Well, that's the point. He couldn't control his emotions and consequently destroyed himself. Of course his enemies helped ruin him, but it's hard to give the highest respect to a leader who contributed so much to his own (unnecessary) downfall.

[Archangelsk]

Teddy Rex matches Ronaldus Maximus. Unfortunately nobody here lived through TR's presidency.

[laconic]

The Soviets aided the Sandinistas in the late 1970s, not 1990s, a misprint on my part.

[RightWhale]

Sorry, Nixon allowed 300,000 engineers and associated tech personnel to be laid off nationwide in 1970. He also allowed the Apollo moon program to die. America's decline in pre-eminence in science and technology began with Nixon. There were positive developments in other areas, but this is a huge negative.

[AlbionGirl]

Well if you don't mind paranoia, pettiness, insecurity and the tendency to sweat in a Prez, then he's your man.

He placed the abominable Harry Blackmun (sp?) on the Supreme Court, and for that he should be pilloried as much in death as in life.

One thing about Nixon though that held him in good stead was his absolutely loving and loyal family. His family was a piece of Americana not seen since in any administration.

I can still remember his final speech before boarding the plane that left the White House on the last day he served.

He conjured up images of his Mom and his Dad with language undoubtedly designed to shield them from any blame assoiciated with his disgraced departure. In effect, he was saying "I had good, decent parents. America please do not blame them, blame me." That speech almost fully redeemed him in my eyes.

He was smart, that's for sure. But not smart enough to tell the devil to go back to hell.

[lizma]

[Consort]

Reagan will be relentlessly trashed by the Left. They are waiting impatiently to unleash their fury.

[jla]

If you think Reagan alone brought down the USSR your sadly mistaken. He gave a push to an already weak and sick giant.

A lot of former Politburo members would, (and have), disagree with you.

Now, when your grandkids ask you what the USSR was, you just answer, "an evil place, whose leaders wanted to rule the world...until a brave & wise man named Ron came along brought them to their knees".

[Pharmboy]

Washington was in a class by himself. We can quibble about the others...my 3 cents.

[Finalapproach29er]

Read: Charlie Wilson's War.

[R W Reactionairy]

"I have to demur as well. The Wage and Price control thing was a disaster, and his Vietnam policy was to pull out and leave the ARVNs helpless against the armored blitzkrieg that finally won it for the North. That, IMHO, was a major strategic error, not to mention just a little hard on the 50,000 or so who died trying to prevent it."

Bingo. And don't forget the "decent interval" travesty attributed to him and "Hank." The concept that losing slowly with continuing loss of life was somehow a better strategy is truly warped.

I voted for Nixon in '72 as a vote against McGovern... regretted it as soon as I thought about what I had done [not about voting against McGovern but about what voting for Nixon actualy meant] ... and have not changed my mind during the intervening years.

At some point in the future I may once again hold my nose and pull the lever, but I pray that the person who gets my vote isn't another Nixon.

[ido_now]

What the hell are these people smoking?

[delapaz]

you forgot TR. He is definitely in the top 5.

[Malcolm]

I've always liked RMN. He lied and got caught, but which POTUS before or after was innocent of the same? He was not as conservative as I would have liked, but was RWR or either of the Bushes? He was intelligent, crafty. Both his daughters were crazy about him. Not what would impress the whiners on FReep, but are the whiners ever truly impressed with any real person? Of course not.....

[Barry Goldwater]

Don't change dicks in the middle of a screw - relect Nixon in '72!