Political Life of President Richard Nixon - Essay Example

Nixon Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United s, will be forever known as the only president that resigned the office in disgrace. When the name ‘Nixon’ is mentioned, events such as the Checkers speech, his trip to China, the Vietnam War, the Kennedy debate and Watergate immediately spring to mind. In spite of these high-profile events, his political life included many other interesting and historically important aspects. Born in 1913, Nixon was an excellent student in school. He graduated near the top of his class in high school, then Whittier College and Duke University law school as well. He practiced law back home in California and got married before entering World War II in 1942 as a naval officer. Following his military service, Nixon ran and won a seat in congress representing the 12th district of California (“Richard M. Nixon”, 2001). His strong anti-Communist stance earned him a place on the House Committee on Un-American Activities where he gained national attention largely due to the ‘Red Scare’ enveloping the country at that time. Reelected to the House in 1948 and the Senate in 1950, he quickly rose to prominence in the Republican Party. In 1952 he became the Party’s vice-presidential nominee alongside eventual twice-elected President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Following the 1956 election, Nixon traveled extensively, notably to the USSR where he debated Nikita Khrushchev in 1959. This high-profile meeting, dubbed the ‘Kitchen Debate,’ vaulted Nixon to national prominence. In 1960, Nixon ran for president against John F. Kennedy where he was perceived to lose the first televised presidential debate then lost the election by about 100,000 votes. He lost a gubernatorial bid in California in 1962 and joined a New York law firm where he did more world traveling. Though he had said after his 1962 bid for public office that he would not run again for anything, he did run again and won the presidency in 1968 by a very slim margin. His victory was due to the fact that the Democratic Party was sharply divided over the Vietnam War (Cloud, 2006). When Nixon took office as President in January of 1969, he faced a number of controversial issues. The war in Vietnam had just completed a year that experienced the highest number of U.S. casualties during the ten year conflict. Many Americans were openly protesting the war. Protests were also held regarding the lack of civil rights afforded minorities and women. In addition, the nation’s economy was suffering from high inflation (“Richard Nixon”, 2007). To address Vietnam, Nixon began a gradual troop withdrawal in1969 along with a plan to have the South Vietnamese take more of the responsibility to protect its own borders from the Northern invaders with increased help from American air power. This plan was heralded by the majority of Americans though a vocal minority demanded a complete troop withdrawal immediately (Semple, 2007). Today, it can be argued that he deserves a zero rating for not pulling all the troops out in 1969 but disregarding hindsight, it was a good move at the time, at least a move in the right direction. For this reason, he rates a seven for the strategy as a whole. Support for Nixon’s Vietnam policy dropped sharply in 1970 when he authorized the bombing of enemy strongholds in neighboring Laos and Cambodia. This did disrupt communist supply lines but was seen as a broadening of a war that was growing increasingly unpopular. Nixon continued the bombings however and continued the gradual troop withdrawal. By 1972, he knew that the only way to win re-election was to promise a complete troop withdrawal. Following the election, Nixon negotiated a peace settlement in early 1973 that allowed the troops as well as the prisoners-of-war to come home. The U.S. involvement also continued in Cambodia until late 1973 when Congress forced Nixon to end military presence in that country. Nixon rated a seven regarding the war at the beginning of his first term and the release of prisoners boosted this number but given the outcome of the war, the lives lost in vain during his watch and his continued desire to remain in Cambodia, he can rate no higher than a five for his handling of the conflict (Robinson, 2007). Above all else, Nixon is lauded for his foreign affairs achievements. His historic trips to the Soviet Union and China improved relations with both countries and the deal he helped broker with Israel and its Arab neighbors in 1973 stabilized the region. The closer relations he forged with the Soviet Union in 1969 led to that country putting pressure on Arab nations to stop the fighting with Israel. However, Nixon’s restrictive oil policy in Arab countries weakened the U.S. economy to the point that a recession resulted in 1974 (“Richard Nixon”, 2007). Negotiations with the Soviet Union put limitations on strategic arms and the two nations made an agreement for the Soviet’s to buy great amounts of grain from the U.S. Though well intended and initially well received by the public, the sale of these enormous amounts of grain at low prices caused a shortage in the U.S and increased the already high inflation figures. Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev made a visit to the U.S. in 1973 to join Nixon in signing a nuclear nonaggression agreement along with another that encouraged cooperation between the countries in the areas of culture, transportation and science. Nixon’s trip to China came at a time (1972) when this country was supplying arms and troops to the North Vietnamese. These talks reduced tensions, served to open trade and increased communication lines between the two countries. They also helped ease tensions between China and Taiwan as well (Robinson, 2007). Nixon should undoubtedly be commended for his foreign relations triumphs but the effects devastated the U.S. economy; therefore his rating in this area balances out to a five. On the domestic front, the issue of school desegregation divided the country as well as the administration. In 1969, the Supreme Court decided that the segregation of schools must end ‘at once.’ The Department of Justice enacted a policy intended to integrate public schools and in 1971, the Supreme Court upheld the concept of ‘busing’ for public schools in order to achieve a balance among the races. Though the country and the courts were ready to accept integration, Nixon stated that he “wanted busing held to the minimum required by law” (Robinson, 2007). This stance was in stark contrast to the two previous administrations. The country in the Nixon era was plagued by unemployment and inflation. Additionally, the price of gasoline and food, especially beef, rose and the value of the dollar plummeted as well. However, Nixon was committed to keeping the federal deficit in check, as opposed to future Republican administrations. Two of his more obvious blunders included sending the National Guard to break up a peaceful protest at Kent State in 1970 which resulted in the deaths of four students and the spraying of pesticides on Marijuana fields in the Southern U.S. and Mexico. This action led to more powerful and higher priced marijuana being imported from Central America which boosted the illegal drug trade and empowered drug cartels further. Of course, ‘Watergate’ was the biggest blunder of Nixon’s term in office. The illegal wiretapping of reporters, political opponents and government officials along with the cover-up that followed this revelation was the downfall of the presidency (Steamer, 2007). Because of the condition of the economy, Watergate and the numerous domestic mistakes, Nixon can be afforded a rating of only a two in this area. When examining the highlights of Richard Nixon’s presidency, his setbacks often overshadow his accomplishments and generally fail to take into consideration the context of the era. The nation was experiencing a social upheaval. The Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War itself and the masses of its protesters, hippies tuning in and dropping out, mid-East unrest and rioting in the streets were some of the events occurring as Nixon was trying to unite the country. This was an impossible task during that particular time in history. The only event that did unite the sharply divided nation was the first moon landing in 1969. The nation hadn’t witnessed a more turbulent time since the Civil War. Unfortunately, Nixon did not possess the charisma of Kennedy. Instead, he came across as a stiff, impersonal and paranoiac figure that was out of step with the times and operated outside the boundaries of the law. Nixon’s intellect, negotiating skills and foreign relation successes are largely forgotten, covered beneath the scandals that marred his administration. Most of the turmoil of the time is unfairly associated with his presidency simply because they happened simultaneously. Much of the country’s continued discontent with misplaced values of ‘the establishment’ was transformed into antagonism for the Nixon administration. Many conveniently forget that he supported environmental issues more so than other conservatives and did stop the war. He is and will continue to be perceived as one of the country’s least effective presidents. This, however, contradicts the feelings of the nation just prior to Watergate when he won a second term in a landslide. Nixon rates a five for the handling of Vietnam, five for foreign activities and two on domestic issues. With equal weight given to all categories, his rating averages a four which is higher than most would score his presidency judging only by the events for which he is best remembered. Nixon Timeline 1969 – Man Lands on the Moon January 20- Richard Milhous Nixon inaugurated President of the United States March 17- Orders secret bombing of Cambodia, commencing with ‘Operation Breakfast’ June 8- Meets with Republic of Vietnam President Nguyen Van Thieu on Midway Island; announces troop reduction in Vietnam November 3- Outlines the policy of ‘Vietnamization’ November 24- Signs Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty 1970 – Four Students killed by National Guard at Kent State January 1- Signs National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 May 4- National Guardsmen fire on antiwar demonstrators at Kent State University June 10- Announces extension of Welfare Reform proposals July 9- Announces plan to establish the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration September 27-October 5- Visits Italy, Vatican City, Yugoslavia, Spain, and Great Britain November 30- Signs Agricultural Act of 1970 December 31- Signs Clean Air Act of 1970 1971 – Mayday War Demonstrations at Capital and Across Country February 16- Begins secretly recording conversations and meetings in the Oval Office and in the Cabinet Room April 20- Supreme Court rules that busing children as a means of dismantling dual school systems is constitutional June 10- Ends U.S.-China trade embargo 1972 - Five burglars are arrested inside the Democratic National Committee February 21-28- Visits Peoples Republic of China March 25-Signs Equal Employment Opportunities Act of 1972 May 20-June 1- Visits Austria, U.S.S.R., Iran, and Poland and signs the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) June 17- headquarters in the Washington, D.C., Watergate office complex August 23- Accepts the Presidential nomination November 7- Re-elected to a second term 1973 - Peace treaty ending the Vietnam War signed in Paris January 11- Phase III of the Economic Stabilization Program goes into effect May 1- Senate votes for a resolution calling for the appointment of a Watergate special prosecutor August 10- Signs Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 October 10- Spiro T. Agnew resigns as Vice-President December 6- Gerald R. Ford becomes Vice President February 6- House of Representatives votes to proceed with impeachment probe June 10-19-Visits Austria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel, and Jordan July 24- Supreme Court rules in U.S. v. Nixon that President Nixon must hand over subpoenaed tapes to John Sirica, U.S. District Court Chief Judge July 27 -30- House Judiciary Committee adopts three articles of impeachment August 8- In a television broadcast, announces resignation to the Nation effective next day. (Nixon Historical Timeline, 2007). Works Cited Cloud, Stanley W. “Richard M. Nixon.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Scholastic Publishing Library, 2006. January 19, 2007 “Nixon Historical Timeline.” Nixon Presidential Materials. 2007. National Archives and Records Administration. January 19, 2007 “Richard M. Nixon.” History Camp: Presidents. (2001). Military Kidz. January 19, 2007 “Richard Nixon.” American Government. 2007. ABC-CLIO. January 19, 2007 . Robinson, James A. “Nixon, Richard Milhous.” Encyclopedia Americana. 2007. Grolier Online. January 19, 2007 Semple, Jr., Robert B. “Nixon, Richard Milhous.” The New Book of Knowledge. 2007. Grolier Online. January 19, 2007 Steamer, Robert J. “United States v. Richard M. Nixon.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2007. Grolier Online. January 19, 2007 . Read More