This lengthy documentary lays the Nixon time-line out very well, although the items included and excluded will vary in importance depending on your political persuasion. While it's true that perhaps Nixon's actions were more ... "understandable", given his times and culture but sadly the "cured the cold but killed the patient" syndrome failed then, just as surely as it did with Clinton, Regan, Bush, Blair or any of the other "Bend the laws to protect the laws" advocates. At the end, the moral - as always - is, people will forgive you for stealing cookies if you're caught with your hand in the cookie jar, but they will NOT forgive you if you still try to convince them that you weren't stealing cookies, with your hand in the jar.
3 Reviews
They left out the horns and the pointy tail
ntvnyr3031 October 2008
This documentary of Nixon is fascinating. It's almost like watching a car crash--you can't turn away. I am no Nixon apologist. As they say, LBJ created Big Government but Nixon funded it.
However informative this was, there was of course some left-wing bias. I compared it to the very fair bio I read on RMN by Jonathan Aitken. Aitken states that Nixon was always a shy man and that's why he didn't like politicking. This documentary labeled him as "self-conscious". They seemed to downplay the role of the Communist spy Alger Hiss as the number 2 guy in the state department.
I think everything is relative, and Nixon role in Watergate should be taken accordingly. The Vietnam war was raging and there were campus demonstrations with student protesters egged on by hardcore leftists, shouting "Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh!!" The country was changing before our eyes. You compare that to Bill Clinton's abuse of power--the nation was not at war (even though terrorists were attacking us and old Bill didn't care to retaliate), the economy was doing well and Bill was abusing his status as POTUS even worse than Nixon ever had previously. I think one reason was Washington didn't take Clinton down--unlike with Nixon--was that he was seen as a charmer and a good old boy. Another reason for Nixon's takedown was payback for exposing Alger Hiss 25 years earlier.
Nixon's speech to his White House Staff the day he resigned was extremely moving, as this shy, vindictive man was close to tears. We can all learn from RMN's speech, including the following: "Others may hate you. But those who hate you don't win unless you hate them back. And then you destroy yourself".
However informative this was, there was of course some left-wing bias. I compared it to the very fair bio I read on RMN by Jonathan Aitken. Aitken states that Nixon was always a shy man and that's why he didn't like politicking. This documentary labeled him as "self-conscious". They seemed to downplay the role of the Communist spy Alger Hiss as the number 2 guy in the state department.
I think everything is relative, and Nixon role in Watergate should be taken accordingly. The Vietnam war was raging and there were campus demonstrations with student protesters egged on by hardcore leftists, shouting "Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh!!" The country was changing before our eyes. You compare that to Bill Clinton's abuse of power--the nation was not at war (even though terrorists were attacking us and old Bill didn't care to retaliate), the economy was doing well and Bill was abusing his status as POTUS even worse than Nixon ever had previously. I think one reason was Washington didn't take Clinton down--unlike with Nixon--was that he was seen as a charmer and a good old boy. Another reason for Nixon's takedown was payback for exposing Alger Hiss 25 years earlier.
Nixon's speech to his White House Staff the day he resigned was extremely moving, as this shy, vindictive man was close to tears. We can all learn from RMN's speech, including the following: "Others may hate you. But those who hate you don't win unless you hate them back. And then you destroy yourself".
Whether you loved him, hated him or aren't sure...there is a lot to take from this second episode in the Nixon biography.
planktonrules5 October 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I have seen a lot of episodes of "The American Experience" and have to say that perhaps this three-part series on Richard Nixon is the best thing they ever produced. I loved how incredibly balanced the show seemed--providing both positive and negative information about the man. This is no hatchet-job.
The second episode consists of Nixon's years as president. As president, there was a lot to admire and a lot that was troubling. Nixon was, at times, isolated and seemed a bit out of touch with some of the trouble in America. He seemed a bit lost in this regard. But, he also had an amazing ability to look at foreign policy in a long-term manner (a rarity for a president). He was instrumental in opening nuclear talks with the Soviets and opened relations with China. He also had a strong sense of his abilities and did not run the country by consensus--and had a strong will (for good and bad). In total, if you didn't know about the Watergate conspiracy, you'd assume by the end of part two that he was one of our great presidents! Well written, interesting throughout and full of tons of information, this is THE biography to see of Nixon. I can't wait to see part three.
The second episode consists of Nixon's years as president. As president, there was a lot to admire and a lot that was troubling. Nixon was, at times, isolated and seemed a bit out of touch with some of the trouble in America. He seemed a bit lost in this regard. But, he also had an amazing ability to look at foreign policy in a long-term manner (a rarity for a president). He was instrumental in opening nuclear talks with the Soviets and opened relations with China. He also had a strong sense of his abilities and did not run the country by consensus--and had a strong will (for good and bad). In total, if you didn't know about the Watergate conspiracy, you'd assume by the end of part two that he was one of our great presidents! Well written, interesting throughout and full of tons of information, this is THE biography to see of Nixon. I can't wait to see part three.
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