Reply #26: The most significant [View All]

difference between Nixon and Cheney would be that Nixon would eventually realize just how wrong he had been. Few things show the strange side of Nixon more, in my opinion, than his testifying for Mark Felt in his trial. Nixon knew that Felt was at very least part of the FBI group known collectively as "Deep Throat." I think Felt must have been surprised when Nixon sent a bottle to him after Reagan had granted the pardon. Compare his behavior to Cheney's, and Nixon seems .... well, almost human.

Regarding the CIA, there are a wider range of people now there than in the "bad old days." Some are democrats, some are republicans. But they are good and decent people, who are patriotic. They aren't killing peasants and priests and raping nuns in Central America. But there are plenty of the old-school folks .... in fact, the new director was brought in to put the brakes on progressive forces.

I'm impressed with your points about the goals of the Nixon administration. It gets me thinking about that period .... especially with Eugene McCarthy dying today. I was thinking about some of the tensions between him and RFK, and between their "camps" .... which are not so different than today. I've read the usual information on the surprising show by McCarthy in the first primary .... Fox reported that "he really didn't win, but came so close that LBJ quit." Close: before another primary, LBJ was told he would be beat by McCarthy, and that RFK had decided to enter .... and then LBJ quit.

After he heard about RFK's getting shot, a number of party leaders tried to convince LBJ to get back in the race, because of the threat of the Nixon forces. "You don't understand," LBJ said sadly, "It's over, it's over, it's over." He wasn't talking about his presidency.