University of Virginia Library

Kevin Mannix

Crook Or Clown, It's Still A Crime

It is very strange. A lot of
silly things are said about
Richard Nixon, but no one
ever claims he is honest. Which
is fine, because we certainly
don't want to stretch the
credulity of the American
public to the breaking point.

Richard Nixon is either a
crook or a clown. This writer
has not been able to laugh at
him in four years (he makes
me sadder everyday) so
I think the latter is not an
accurate description.

Nixon either knew about
the Watergate operation and all
of the disgusting side
operations, which would make
him a crook, or he didn't know
what his top aides were doing,
which would make him a
clown.

It is important to realize
that the various crimes
generally referred to as
"Watergate" are just that –
crimes – and it is not necessary
to be one of the perpetrators
to be a criminal. Having direct
knowledge of a crime and
failure to report it is also a
crime.

As of this writing, several
top Republicans have agreed
that at least two of Nixon's top
aides were involved in the
Watergate bugging crime and
other criminal acts of political
sabotage and espionage.
However, they go on to state
that Nixon surely did not
know of the involvement of his
aides.

If the last statement is true,
Nixon is not the tough
administrator his admirers
made him out to be last fall.
One of the more devastating
charges made against
McGovern was that he didn't
run a tight campaign.

Richard Nixon, on the
other hand, claims he runs a
very tight campaign. In fact, in
December of 1970 he stated,
"When I am the candidate, I
run the campaign." Okay,
Dick, so tell us – who among
your operatives are the real
crooks?

The most disturbing thing
about the recent political
crimes is the public's seeming
acceptance of them as a way of
political life rather than as an
aberration. Perhaps this will
change as the facts are more
fully developed. Nixon's final
success as President may well
be that he made the American
public 100 per cent cynical
about politicians. I hope not.

However, even cynicism has
its limits. Nixon's hypocrisy in
claiming to be for "law and
order" while attempting to
protect criminals behind the
veil of "executive privilege"
may yet spur Congress to take
affirmative action. When the
full story is told, perhaps
Nixon's hypocrisy will show
through even more clearly.

Some of my best friends
voted for Richard Nixon. I'm
still waiting for them to
apologize for voting for a
crook.