Richard Nixon: A Tale of Stupidity

Perhaps I am no smarter, but just listening to some of the tapes of conversations in the Nixon White House makes me think that Nixon must have been one of the most stupid smart people of recent history.

I don't remember Watergate. I don't know whether it's because I was too busy flying spaceships around the back yard or that my family just didn't talk about it. My family was pro-Nixon, so to this day I'm not sure what they did with it then. I'm sure today they would side with Liddy, Buchanan, and Colson.

I've not done my homework. I hope maybe I can form some informed opinions on the subject in the next few weeks.

But I was especially struck by an interview with Kissinger on Hardball last night. If you listen to some of the recordings of things Nixon said, they were atrocious. One in particular stood out to me--a hateful remark about Felt being a Jew. Wasn't Kissinger Jewish, I thought when I first heard the tape.

So I was glad that Chris Matthews brought Kissinger on to discuss those comments and the whole Deep Throat situation.

Kissinger said that Nixon said a lot of things that you just knew didn't mean anything. And many of them were said when a particular person was in the room--I forget the name. Kissinger said that Nixon was always saying things like "Let's break into the x," but no one with any sense would actually follow through with it.

I doubt it is the case, but a comic scene unfolds in my mind--one not too far from a Saturday Night Live skit Dan Ackroyd did in the 70's. Some idiot hears Nixon doing his usual think about "Let's break into the Watergate building..." and actually does it. Then Nixon finds himself in this situation of having instigated something he never really planned to do. The SNL skit had Ackroyd joking around with the mike, knowing he's being recorded. Everyone's laughing as they say "Hey, I have an idea. Hee, hee, hee. Let's break into the Watergate building, hee, hee, hee."

I'm sure that Nixon must have been extremely intelligent and competent on one level. But he was really stupid on another. Even the best case scenario sees him as someone who acted disgracefully when he was around certain people--said shameful things and expressed shameful words and sentiments.

I don't know a lot about the particulars of it all. But I think he was unworthy of the presidency. His "outing" led to a important climate of critical thinking at least by many toward public officials. I know there is still a lot of hero worship that goes on by both sides.

But a lot of us now have a healthy suspicion about just about anyone's motives when it comes to power and money. We won't just take a politician's word for it.

P.S. As a side note, I actually think the current Bush is one of the most honest presidents we've had in a long time (probably since Carter). It's his ideology that I fear.