Richard Nixon is the only president to ever resign as president of the United States. He has been praised for his foreign policy achievements and criticized for the scandal that wracked his presidency. What do you think should be remembered?
I have to say while I see the fluidity of your argument, I fundamentally disagree with the amount of blame you place on Nixon. At its core, the Watergate scandal was an underhanded attempt by Nixon to gain an unfair advantage in the upcoming election. While his sentiments about wanting to move the country forward as explanation for his resignation sound genuine, it is clear that he steadfastly fought against the search for the White House tapes and did everything he could to stay in power. Only when the investigation proved too strong and the Supreme Court subpoenaed the tapes did Nixon's resolution waver. He was a president who failed to maintain the appearance of moral excellence which America demands of her leaders and should be remembered as he was: an unethical yet pragmatically successful president. All other judgments based on this statement are the opinions of the readers, yet that statement is fact.
Well, that was a great read. Everything was well reasoned, connected back to the thesis, and nicely structured, which made it enjoyable. I like what you chose to explore- the investigation, Nixon's emphasis on the continued success of the nation during his resignation, the reactionary legislation, the political realignment of the "silent majority," and continued future executive corruption. The nearly chronological arrangement gave your argument continuity and provided for a nice piece on Nixon's legacy at the end, an opinion of which was developed subtly through the body. I also think that your analysis of his failures and acknowledgement of his successes- "Nixon drastically overstepped his bounds as president, but his foreign policy successes cannot be ignored."- falls in line with the change in his legacy over the past 30 odd years. While he is still a dreaded symbol of corruption in the executive, people have begun to give more credit to his foreign relations achievements. Perhaps I'm off there, but that was the sense I developed during my research. Anyway, nice work Jake.
I have to say while I see the fluidity of your argument, I fundamentally disagree with the amount of blame you place on Nixon. At its core, the Watergate scandal was an underhanded attempt by Nixon to gain an unfair advantage in the upcoming election. While his sentiments about wanting to move the country forward as explanation for his resignation sound genuine, it is clear that he steadfastly fought against the search for the White House tapes and did everything he could to stay in power. Only when the investigation proved too strong and the Supreme Court subpoenaed the tapes did Nixon's resolution waver. He was a president who failed to maintain the appearance of moral excellence which America demands of her leaders and should be remembered as he was: an unethical yet pragmatically successful president. All other judgments based on this statement are the opinions of the readers, yet that statement is fact.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was a great read. Everything was well reasoned, connected back to the thesis, and nicely structured, which made it enjoyable. I like what you chose to explore- the investigation, Nixon's emphasis on the continued success of the nation during his resignation, the reactionary legislation, the political realignment of the "silent majority," and continued future executive corruption. The nearly chronological arrangement gave your argument continuity and provided for a nice piece on Nixon's legacy at the end, an opinion of which was developed subtly through the body. I also think that your analysis of his failures and acknowledgement of his successes- "Nixon drastically overstepped his bounds as president, but his foreign policy successes cannot be ignored."- falls in line with the change in his legacy over the past 30 odd years. While he is still a dreaded symbol of corruption in the executive, people have begun to give more credit to his foreign relations achievements. Perhaps I'm off there, but that was the sense I developed during my research. Anyway, nice work Jake.
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