32 Years Ago Today - August 8, 1974: President Nixon to resign from office

[kpete]

kpete: I remember that day so well.
I believed America was on its way to recovery...
If only George Bush had the dignity to agree with Nixon:
"As president I must put the interests of America first."

AUGUST 8, 1974: President Nixon to resign from office



Richard Nixon has announced he is stepping down as president of the United States - the first man ever to do so.
He has announced his departure in the face of an imminent impeachment trial - and possible removal from office - over the Watergate affair.

The president broke the news of his resignation in a television broadcast from the White House on Thursday at 2100 local time. It will take effect from noon tomorrow.

Mr Nixon, 61, said initially he had believed it was his duty to complete his term of office despite the Watergate charges.

"In the past days, however, it has become evident that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort," he said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/8/newsid_2492000/2492685.stm

[CountAllVotes]

1. and a fine day that was

:D :party: :D

War is over if you want it!

[livetohike]

2. 32 years ago - wow. I remember it well, too

Bush has no dignity. He will stay in office if he only has one supporter. He can't admit he was wrong.

[goddess40]

3. I wish Bush and his administration had half of Nixon's ethics

Sadly they aren't even close.

[skooooo]

4. Now I really feel old!

One of my first political memories...

[Jeanette in FL]

5. Remember the day well

It was my 19th birthday and what a way to celebrate. The whole country cheered and we thought that horrible nightmare had come to an end.

[MrCoffee]

14. Happy Birthday

:party: :toast: :beer: :headbang: :yourock: :applause:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. I remember all the joyful grins.

A fine and memorable day.

[HamdenRice]

7. It was the first time I watched someone have a nervous breakdown

And it probably was the first time many people watched a human being have a complete psychotic breakdown -- and it was on television.

In news retrospective and history channel presentations and even in writings on DU, we make it appear as though it was a simple legal resignation.

One of the things we forget is just how bizarre the event was. Nixon had a complete psychotic breakdown on television while he was resigning -- actually correction, it was the day after the resignation when he was actually leaving office. He was probably quite drunk as well. He began rambling about how "no on would remember my mother."

My family watched it on the edges of our chairs and we were wondering whether he was going to do something drastic like pull out a pistol and blow his brains out on TV. It was one of the strangest things I've ever seen on TV.

The only place I know where you can see that clip is at the end of Oliver Stone's film, Nixon. Anthony Hopkins plays Nixon throughout the movie, but at the very end, the real tape of Nixon resigning replaces Hopkins.

Very strange stuff.

BTW, my sister says she thinks Bush will be the first president to commit suicide on national TV -- he's that unstable.

[leveymg]

8. Dubya, if you do it today, we'll have a new national holiday named

after you:

Nixon-Bush Waive Bye-Bye Day


Let's check, yup, I remembered it.

[The Deacon]

9. I Remember...

...standing in the laundry room so we could all watch together (we didn't have a "TV Room.") It was in Guatemala - our maid was standing beside me & I translated the feed from Miami for her. She was truly amazed that the president of a country could be forced to resign by the people. She was from Panama & her entire life Omar Torejos had picked who would be president & when the country needed a new one - the Legislature existed to rubber stamp what "El Lider" wanted. I hope she survived Noreiga to see her own country freely elect a leader.

[kpete]

10. Wow

Guatemala - Beautiful Country - Amazing History

I was at TIKAL last Spring. It was one of those places I just had to go to. I was NOT dissappointed!

[The Deacon]

24. Does The Only Motel

Still have cisterns on the roof for showers, or have they made it all touristy? When I was there the road was dirt most of the way, no bridge at the river - dry season you drove across, wet season there was a ferry. Glorius. If you have a chance to return I highly recommend the Sunday market at Chichicastenango & a stop at Lake Atitlan (extinct volcano - pure mountain air & the bluest water you'll ever see!)

[underpants]

11. A sad but great day

BOO Nixon!

[Joe Fields]

12. I got good and drunk that day with my brother.

The long and drawn out process finally came to an end and the only thing that could be done was to get good and drunk. Oh, and we laughed and hooted and hollered a lot that day...

[SheilaT]

13. When he made his speech

on Thursday evening I was working as a ticket agent at National Airport. I have never before or since seen the main terminal empty out the way it did while people watched it. All of us agents at my airline went into the back room where we had a TV to watch. We propped the door open and not a single passenger came up to be waited on. I believe planes may not have pushed away from the gates while everyone listened or watched.

I was so afraid, when he said, "I'm not a quitter" that his next line was going to be, "And I'm not quitting now." Even after all these years, every time I see that speech I'm afraid it will turn out that he's not resigning. Every time I watch "All the President's Men" I cheer at the end, when the teletype message comes across about his resignation.

Democracy actually won out that day.

[bikebloke]

15. I remember

I had stopped at an ice cream shop, and was listening to his resignation on the radio in the car.

[Kingshakabobo]

16. The Clinton administration was more corrupt....

....if you figure in parking tickets and moving violations.

No shit! My rethug co-worker actually sent me a link once to some website trying to compare the two administrations. They had to include moving violations etc. to make the number of "convictions" match.

:rofl:

[nosillies]

17. My poor momma had to birth me practically by herself

'cause everybody who was supposed to be helping her was watching the TV.

It's probably best that I don't remember this, as I imagine it was a pretty traumatic day for me.

[kpete]

18. amybhole

what a great day you were born on

Obviously, you are on your way to accomplishing great things!

[nosillies]

20. Accomplishing great things, yet

not clever enough to keep my age to myself. As Napoleon would say, FREAKIN' IDIOT!:P

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. Idiot?

32yo women, in my statistical assessment, tend in average to be HOTHOTHOT! Especially liberal ones.

[nosillies]

23. THANKS FOR THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT A GIRL COULD ASK FOR!

With each passing birthday, I am always thankful that I'm not nearly as stupid as I was ten years ago.

[ronnykmarshall]

19. Back then my family was mostly republicans ...

So they were pretty sad, but yet felt it was the best thing.

Compared to today, I'll take Nixon over that asshole in the White House we have now.

[MadHound]

22. A great day for this country!

Yet what's really sad is that I thought I would see a more corrupt, evil person in the Oval Office during my lifetime. Sadly however Bush has far exceeded that once lofty mark set by Nixon. Nixon had at least a few redeeming actions during his presidency, like the enactment of the Endangered Species Act, the EPA, and opening up relations with China. Bush on the other has absolutely none.

And somewhere ol' Tricky Dick is laughing his little laugh, and thanking God that he will no longer be listed as the worst President in American history.