What is your favorite Richard Nixon quote?

Question

"Don't get the impression that you arouse my anger. You see, one can only be angry with those he respects. " -Nixon

He's got better stuff then "I am not a crook."

Haha, that's a great one Heatmizer. I love it!

"I would have made a good Pope." -Nixon

Answer 1

"Well, when the President does it, that means that it is not illegal."
Explaining his interpretation of executive privilege; transcript of David Frost-Nixon interview, N.Y. Times, May 20, 1977, at A16

Answer 2

"Don't get the impression that you arouse my anger. You see, one can only be angry with those he respects."
Richard M. Nixon

Nixon was a great president.

A few examples of his fine leadership:

Remember Kennedy got us into Vietnam (often overlooked)...Johnson escalated Vietnam...Nixon ended the draft and got us out.

Nixon's detente with China and Russia was extremely successful. Nixon visited china and reduced tensions with Russia getting them to sign SALT 1 and SALT 2 (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks). Including limiting and banning the production of chemical weapons.

Removed the gold standard.
Title 7, Affirmative action
Title 9, benefits women athletics

Answer 3

I was a newspaper editor during Watergate. I had a quote a day, and each one was more outrageous than the last. Some of the best have already been used here.

I just wish to clear up a few mistakes others have made.

First, US involvement in Vietnam began under the Eisenhower Administration. Nixon, then Vice President, was a strong proponent of even more action than was taken. It is known now that Kennedy had grave reservations about further commitments in Vietnam and at the time of his assassination was exploring means of reducing or eliminating American involvement.

Richard M. Nixon did get the U.S. out of Vietnam., but only because he was forced to do so by economics and national opposition. He won the 1968 election on that promise, and then instead broke it and expanded the war, ultimately destabilizing the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Cambodia. He expanded the draft and caused even greater unrest in the country than before. He attempted to censor unfavorable exposure of White House lies and misdeeds and was flatly defeated by the Supreme Court. The US was barely out of Vietnam before Nixon was out of office on August 9, 1974.

Nixon mounted a nasty, nasty re-election campaign in 1972 under the acronym "CREEP" - committee to re-elect the president. His campaign spied, laundered illegal contributions in the US and from abroad, and conducted numerous illegal activities.

Worse, Nixon persecuted anyone who disagreed with him - and mis-used the power of his office to do so.

Nixon took bribes while in office as Vice President under Eisenhower. Nixon conducted dishonorable and vile campaigns when he ran for office in 1946 and 1950. Nixon was forced to rapprochement with China as a result of the geopolitical pressures of the time and the threat of expanded war in Vietnam. Nixon agreed to the Brezhnev initiative to "limit" nuclear war because he knew it was meaningless.

Nixon created the first controlled economy in the US with his nutty "Whip Inflation Now" campaign that only distrupted the nation and caused terrible economic problems. However, those of you that love the Big Mac will be happy, since under price controls the Big Mac was created as a way for McDonald's to raise product prices.

Nixon was not necessarily the worst President of the US. He was the most unbalanced, untrustworthy and dangerous person to hold the office.

The WORST president in history until now had been Ronald Reagan, whose Administration saw more convictions for corruption in office than even Grant's, the worst budget defecits, the most arrogant misuse of authority in the face of Constitutional and Congressional restraints, the worst homelessness increase, and the greatest deterioration of the national infrastructure.

However at this point the George W. Bush Administration beats even Rotten Ronnie's record on all counts except criminal convictions. And there looks to be a slew of those in the works.

Answer 4

"Always remember, others may hate you. Those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself."

Farewell to White House staff, August 9, 1974

I hope no one beat me to it!

PS Hey 43, Dr. King died before Nixon was President, so I'd re-check my quote.

PPS Nixon was brilliant but deeply flawed - complex. He did great things, and he did awful things. But he was dishonest and had to go.

People will be studying him for a long time. He is neither as great as people say here, nor as bad. I dispute some of their facts, but everyone has his or her biases, me included. On domestic policy, I think he was a lot more "liberal" than people realize. From what I know, he thought foreign policy should be the president's main focus.

And yes, I love Big Macs - I had one this week! No lie. :)

Answer 5

I'll take your word for it that he has better stuff than, "I am not a crook", but I am unaware of any. I didn't realize that Nixon still had any fans out there.

Answer 6

I liked his commit when Martin Luther came to see him at the Whitehouse.

"Who let that ni**er in here. I said I don't want that ni**er in my office"

Also when asked about his decision to form the EPA

"That way industry can close their old factories and people will still buy their toasters"

The reference was to General Electric one of the businesses that paid to help Nixon start the EPA

Answer 7

"Sock it to me" from his appearance on Laugh-In

Hmmm. Just realized how much I am showing my age. I am not really old enough to remember the sixties! Am I? Darn, and I thought I was so good at hiding it. I am thinking I may need a comb over for my brain. :)

Answer 8

that "a.s.shole Trudeau." To which Trudeau replied, Nixon has a good understanding of anatomy.

Let others wallow in Watergate, I am going to do the job I was elected to do.

Answer 9

It's not my favorite but was significant. "I will deploy a nuclear bomb on Hanoi and win this war right now." Nixon to Kissinger.

Answer 10

"They'll be no whitewash in the White House (...unless I'm able to get away with this, of course...)"

Closely followed by: "Fordy, old buddy, give me an official pardon and I'll promise I'll cut your lawn every day till I die, 'cos I've got nothing else to do now"