Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Watergate Never Dies
After the "revelation" that the #2 guy at the FBI was deep throat, the Nixon era Republicans are still acting as though Nixon didn't do anything that other presidents, past or future, did.
First, for those of you not old enough to remember the 72 election, Nixon was going to blow McGovern out of the water. The Nixon White House and CREEP, the committee to re-elect the president were running a smear campaign against all the democrats. Nixon came to office with his secret plan to end the Vietnam War -- Peace with Honor... and the war wasn't over. Some who criticized the administration with exposing facts detrimental to White House policy were put on an "enemies list".
J. Edgar Hoover was gone from the FBI, and the White House brought in his replacement, "twisting in the wind" Gray. The CIA director had gone to Gray to tell him for national security reasons don't have the FBI get involved in the Watergate scandal???? Felt the #2 man at the FBI knew that the corruption and involvement in the cover up had to be emanating from the White House.
Some accused the White House with having the IRS examine the records of enemies. Some claimed White House operatives broke into their offices to dig up incriminating or embarrassing information. All of these charges were dismissed as ludicrous. We didn't have blogs, the internet, or cable news shows where so much information and misinformation can be organized and published within minutes. All of the Nixon supports trotted out before the press and toed the party line.
Then the Watergate burglars got caught breaking into a Democratic Party office at the Watergate complex. Little by little the story started coming out that campaign money --- in cash, which had been laundered, through Mexico, if I recall, was sitting in the CREEP offices. The White House offered money to the burglars to shut up and go to jail. One of the big questions was who authorized this break-in. That was never revealed and Nixon always denied prior knowledge.
For those watching the Bush administration's denials about lying about WMD's, its like Watergate redux .
Finally, the Senate held public hearings over months one by one the little fish, then larger fish were brought in to testify about their knowledge of the breakin or the cover up. Until finally everyone up to, but not including the President testified. Virtually everyone in the Nixon White House went to jail, Nixon resigned, and in a prearranged deal to put the matter to bead, Gerald Ford pardoned him.
Did anyone see Pat Buchanan this weekend. Literally he was saying Nixon's enemy unjustly hounded him into resignation. Not even Hardball's Matthews asked him the $64,000 question --- Did or didn't Nixon commit an impeachable offense. Had he, I am sure he would say NO. Clinton lied and covered up sex -- Impeachable; tampering with an election, obstructing justice by paying "illegal" hush money to burglars, other breakins, misuse of the IRS, NOT IMPEACHABLE.
How about G. Gordon Liddy...nut bar talk show host, oh yea...and a Watergate burglar that did about 4 years for the breakin. He's on the talk show circuit discrediting Felt as though Felt was the criminal, not Haldaman, Erlichman, Mitchell, Magruder, Colson, Dean, and a cast of others, both indicted and spared.
We saw Vietnam and Watergate constantly lurking below the surface of the 2004 election. The 50+ year old Republicans of today that stood by Nixon in 73 are about as careless with the truth as they were during the Watergate scandal. This cost the Republicans control of the house and senate until Newt and the contract with America. They don't intend to lose power again.....ever.
First, for those of you not old enough to remember the 72 election, Nixon was going to blow McGovern out of the water. The Nixon White House and CREEP, the committee to re-elect the president were running a smear campaign against all the democrats. Nixon came to office with his secret plan to end the Vietnam War -- Peace with Honor... and the war wasn't over. Some who criticized the administration with exposing facts detrimental to White House policy were put on an "enemies list".
J. Edgar Hoover was gone from the FBI, and the White House brought in his replacement, "twisting in the wind" Gray. The CIA director had gone to Gray to tell him for national security reasons don't have the FBI get involved in the Watergate scandal???? Felt the #2 man at the FBI knew that the corruption and involvement in the cover up had to be emanating from the White House.
Some accused the White House with having the IRS examine the records of enemies. Some claimed White House operatives broke into their offices to dig up incriminating or embarrassing information. All of these charges were dismissed as ludicrous. We didn't have blogs, the internet, or cable news shows where so much information and misinformation can be organized and published within minutes. All of the Nixon supports trotted out before the press and toed the party line.
Then the Watergate burglars got caught breaking into a Democratic Party office at the Watergate complex. Little by little the story started coming out that campaign money --- in cash, which had been laundered, through Mexico, if I recall, was sitting in the CREEP offices. The White House offered money to the burglars to shut up and go to jail. One of the big questions was who authorized this break-in. That was never revealed and Nixon always denied prior knowledge.
For those watching the Bush administration's denials about lying about WMD's, its like Watergate redux .
Finally, the Senate held public hearings over months one by one the little fish, then larger fish were brought in to testify about their knowledge of the breakin or the cover up. Until finally everyone up to, but not including the President testified. Virtually everyone in the Nixon White House went to jail, Nixon resigned, and in a prearranged deal to put the matter to bead, Gerald Ford pardoned him.
Did anyone see Pat Buchanan this weekend. Literally he was saying Nixon's enemy unjustly hounded him into resignation. Not even Hardball's Matthews asked him the $64,000 question --- Did or didn't Nixon commit an impeachable offense. Had he, I am sure he would say NO. Clinton lied and covered up sex -- Impeachable; tampering with an election, obstructing justice by paying "illegal" hush money to burglars, other breakins, misuse of the IRS, NOT IMPEACHABLE.
How about G. Gordon Liddy...nut bar talk show host, oh yea...and a Watergate burglar that did about 4 years for the breakin. He's on the talk show circuit discrediting Felt as though Felt was the criminal, not Haldaman, Erlichman, Mitchell, Magruder, Colson, Dean, and a cast of others, both indicted and spared.
We saw Vietnam and Watergate constantly lurking below the surface of the 2004 election. The 50+ year old Republicans of today that stood by Nixon in 73 are about as careless with the truth as they were during the Watergate scandal. This cost the Republicans control of the house and senate until Newt and the contract with America. They don't intend to lose power again.....ever.
