Salon has a fascinating article by former counsel to President Nixon John W. Dean, who uses some little-known information about the Watergate scandal to advise Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame to file a civil suit in an attempt to break the current scandal wide open.
I thought I had seen political dirty tricks as foul as they could get, but I was wrong. In blowing the cover of CIA agent Valerie Plame to take political revenge on her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, for telling the truth, Bush’s people have out-Nixoned Nixon’s people. And my former colleagues were not amateurs by any means.
[…]
[Nobody] I knew while working at the Nixon White House had the necessary viciousness, or depravity, to attack the wife of a perceived enemy by employing potentially life-threatening tactics.
So let me share a bit of history with Ambassador Wilson and his wife. And, well aware that gratuitous advice is rightfully suspect, let me also offer them a suggestion — drawn from some pages of Watergate history that till now I’ve only had occasion to discuss privately. Long before Congress became involved and a special prosecutor was appointed, Joe Califano, then general counsel to the Democratic National Committee and later a Cabinet officer, persuaded his Democratic colleagues to file a civil suit against the Nixon reelection committee. And that maneuver almost broke the Watergate coverup wide open. In seeking justice from the closed ranks of the Bush White House, Wilson and Plame should follow a similar strategy.
It’s a very interesting look back at Watergate, and forward to where things could go in the near future.
On a side note — does anyone know of a really good book (or books) about the Watergate scandal? While it wasn’t entirely “before my time”, I was extremely young when it happened, and I’d like to know a bit more about it. Recommendations are very welcome.
(via Mediaburn)
This should get you started http://www.watergate.info/
Here’s some books http://www.watergate.info/books/
I would tend to stick with those books written by The Washington Post, Bob Woodward or Carl Bernstein
They saw it, they covered it and they broke it.
There is a movie called “All the presidents men” http://www.homevideos.com/revclas/36.htm
That is in fact, quite factual. Some people look at the stars Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman and say its just a money maker for big stars, but in truth the movie was made in 1976 (over 25 years ago) and Redford & Hoffman while known were not the big stars they are today. (This movie helped)
I am old enough, and I do remember, a sad chapter in American history. Start with the movie then read the books.
Woodward & Bernstein assisted in the making of the movie.
Do you want to hear the actual “Nixon tapes” ?
here you go http://www.archives.gov/nixon/tapes/tapes.html
1,800 hours of unbelievable crap.
I thought the Nixon presidency taught us Americans a thing or two but as I look at the White Houst today and see Bush and his posse? I see the history is begining to repeat itself. Three presidents out of office in discrace in one life time? Nixon, Clinton and now Bush.
What are we doing? why do we elect these people?
We were the greatest nation on this planet, now we are the laughing stock of the world…..