Nixon v United States - Essay Example

Nixon vs. the United Sates A legislature is in place to define what a position of power and ity means to a nation. Above anything else, it is required to make laws and make sure they are obeyed. “Quite as important as legislation is vigilant oversight of administration.’ (Woodrow Wilson, 1885 treatise). He equates oversight with lawmaking, which was usually seen as the supreme function of the legislature. President Nixon’s resignation of August 9th, 1974 brought he entire episode of impeachment to an end.

But, this did not mark the end of the innumerable questions and doubts the people of America had regarding “The efficiency of a system that not only comprises of the President and the White House staff, but also extends to the office of independent counsel-its authority and its jurisdiction.” (Frederick M. Kaiser, p 5). The tapes, one of them called ‘The Smoking Gun’ which include the recorded conversations, that revealed Nixon’s alleged acts that were antagonistic to justice and highlighted his attempts to cover up the attempted break-in, led to a lot of public disgust for the Republican Party.

Keeping in mind the disastrous effect the Watergate scandal had on the public morale, the information these tapes contain must be kept away from Congressional oversight. They are not empowered with the right to have access to records or conduct investigations. Reports have already shown the tapes were tampered with, even when in the custody of the White House. Eighteen and a half crucial minutes of one particular tape were erased in five separate segments. The privileged information contained within these tapes, if accessed by the above-mentioned body will further lead to the establishment of an atmosphere of political insecurity that has already been created due to the illegal activities of President Nixon and his staff.

“In all of this, President Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional Government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.” (House Committee on the Judiciary, p 3). These tapes are now a matter of national security and must neither be compartmentalized nor pigeonholed as a mere political conspiracy. Congressional oversight is needed to serve many objectives and purposes.

According to Frederick M. Kaiser, these include “improvement in the efficiency, economy, effectiveness of Governmental operations, evaluation of programs and their performance, protection of civil liberties and constitutional rights, ensuring administrative compliance with legislative intent, prevention of executive encroachment on legislative authority and prerogatives and informing the general public and ensuring the executive policies reflect public interest.” (CRS Report, p 2). Discussions pertaining to the Watergate scandal will by no means contribute to these primary goals and targets that need to be met by them.

The aftermath of the scandal has already resulted in tremendous changes in campaign finance reform and has further fuelled the already aggressive attitude of the media to a very great extent. It would be better for the American constitution if these tapes were left alone. A lot of political commentators already feel that there has been an increased level of cynicism about politics and it’s working because of the Watergate affair. To be extremely honest, the decision to belong to the school of thought that believes that no further investigation of this embarrassing political and presidential affair is needed to provide more case studies addressing the operation of the government and its political values will be better for the future of American politics.

Reference:Impeachment of Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States: Report of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Peter W. Rodino, Jr., ChairmanBy United States Congress. House. Committee on the JudiciaryPublished by U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1974528 pages