So i just finished reading Richard Reeves’
President Nixon: Alone in the White House, and it really is a terrific book. What’s especially refreshing is that the author doesn’t editorialize too much and more or less presents the information in neutral terms leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions(though it is still annoyingly biased in some parts.)
I’ve always been a huge admirer of Richard Nixon. I even did my “hero” report on him in the 6th grade (much to the horror of my left-wing teacher!) I know that as a republican you’re supposed to be all about Reagan, but Nixon was really more my kind of guy. He was an introvert in an extrovert’s business. He was socially awkward and didn’t like to be around people or talk to them too much.
Sure, he was conniving and paranoid, but he was a true leader, a real man of determination.
Pierre Rinfret, who died in 2006, had
had this to say about him
While he disappointed conservatives from time to time, he almost always knew exactly what could be realistically achieved and made it happen and always had a bigger picture in mind. People can say what they will about him, but the republican party sure could use someone with his brains rather that conjuring up more of the likes of Sarah Palin.
Nixon’s biggest fault was psychological, a poor self image. Most of his crimes were basically unnecessary campaign overkill (they were also not unusual for the times and had been made routine in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.) He would have been reelected easily,(and was anyway) but he did not believe people could love him on his own merits because he did not love himself. So he felt he had to crush his enemies and falsely manipulate events in order to be liked.
But he was wrong, people did love him and some of us still do.. even though we grew up long after the fact and were educated to believe he was a disgrace. Even in death he still manages to “reach over their head and directly to the people.”
One thing in the book that is quite astonishing is that Nixon had correctly guessed that Mark Felt was the informant “deep throat.”
I’ve been thinking of reviving(the late?) Russ Braley’s
Nixon loyalist site
Tags: alone in the white house, pierre rinfret, richard nixon, richard reeves
