President Nixon's resignation was 40 years ago


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SALT LAKE CITY — “I have never been a quitter. To leave my office before my term is over is abhorrent to every bone in my body.”

Those were the words of President Richard Nixon in a live televised address to the nation from the Oval Office on Aug. 8, 1974.

At noon the following day, the 37th president walked up the steps of Marine One, the presidential helicopter, and waved to his staff before departing the White House.

After the long ordeal with the Watergate break-in, and Nixon on the verge of impeachment, the president told the nation that he was stepping down for the good of the nation.

Forty years later, his resignation still resonates with Americans.

“I’ve met every president from John F. Kennedy, and of all of them, in terms of raw intellectual power, Richard Nixon was the smartest,” said former U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah. Bennett served as director of congressional affairs in the United States Department of Transportation during the Nixon administration. He held this position from 1969 to 1970.

Bennett, speaking on the Doug Wright Show on KSL Radio, said he had several encounters with Nixon in the years after he left office.

“He had an incredible mind and incredible memory, the ability to analyze … he was just dazzling,” Bennett said. “At the same time, Richard Nixon was probably the most insecure man on the planet.”

Bennett said Americans used to give the White House the benefit of the doubt on how it dealt with various national issues. Nixon and Watergate changed all that, he said.

“After Watergate, we assumed the president is corrupt. [Nowadays] we assume the very worst of our presidents.”

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A CNN/ORC poll just released this week seems to confirm that. In 1972, 53 percent of Americans trusted the federal government. After Nixon resigned, the numbers dropped, and only 13 percent say they trust Washington now.

Nixon’s announcement 40-years ago is one of those “Where-were-you” events.

On KSL’s Facebook page, viewers posted a number of comments. Casey Harker wrote: “At least he had the decency to resign. If Watergate happened today, it would just be swept under the rug.”

Cindy Prokop said: “I was watching on TV. If what he did was in today's era, it would be nothing.”

And there was this from Nick Srogus: “I was in my mommy’s tummy. I can still hear her cheering.”

President Nixon died in 1994 after suffering a stroke at the age of 81. But thanks to social media he’s still very much alive. In fact, he has a Twitter page, (@Dick_Nixon) with nearly 10,000 followers.

A New York City man, 33-year old Justin Sherin, has become the “Twitter-Nixon.” Sherin is fascinated by Nixon’s way of expressing himself, especially after listening to many of the Nixon White House tapes. The tweets are a mixture of the actual Nixon, such as: “The press is the enemy. The press is the enemy. Write that on a blackboard a hundred times and never forget it.” To the more topical "I can confirm that the Phillie Phanatic greeted President Nixon with a 'victory' sign.” He’s also tweeted opinions about President Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Though Nixon’s legacy is tarnished, Bennett points out that Nixon did do some great things.

“You had moments of accomplishment and excitement — his opening to China, his detente with Russia, things of that nature, along with paranoia that ultimately destroyed him. It was a fascinating thing to see and think about in retrospect.”

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Keith McCord

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