Richard Nixon's observation about Fred Thompson being "dumb as hell" is just one of thousands of aspersions cast in the Oval Office and captured on tape. Test your knowledge of Tricky Dick's bountiful Oval Office bile:
1) What did Richard Nixon call his Secretary of the Treasury, George Shultz?
a) "That candy-ass."
b) "That horse's ass."
c) "That flaming asshole."
2) What did Richard Nixon say about California governor Ronald Reagan?
a) "Reagan's so ignorant he doesn't even know how ignorant he is."
b) "Reagan, on a personal basis, is terrible. He's just an uncomfortable man to be around - strange."
c) "Reagan - Christ, don't get stuck in a room with him. All he does is tell these stupid jokes."
3) How did Richard Nixon describe Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart?
a) "A stupid bastard."
b) "A miserable bastard."
c) "A weak bastard."
4) How did Richard Nixon describe Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall?
a) "A black bastard."
b) "An old fool and a black fool."
c) "An uppity son-of-a-bitch."
5) Complete Richard Nixon's assessment of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham: "She is _______________"
a) a terrible old bag.
b) a nervy old broad.
c) a slutty old whore.
6) Two of these men were referred to by Richard Nixon as "that asshole." Which one was referred to as "that s.o.b."?
a) G. Gordon Liddy.
b) E. Howard Hunt.
c) Pierre Trudeau.
7) How did Richard Nixon describe Supreme Court Justice William Brennan?
a) "A lily-livered liberal ninny."
b) "A jackass Catholic."
c) "A Goddamn Communist."
8) Who did Richard Nixon refer to as "that wop"?
a) His Secretary of Transportation, John Volpe.
b) New Jersey congressman Peter Rodino.
c) Judge John Sirica.
9) How did Richard Nixon describe Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black?
a) "A senile old bastard."
b) "An idiot hillbilly."
c) "An old fart."
10) How did Richard Nixon refer to his Supreme Court nominee William Rehnquist?
a) "That dunce Rehnquist."
b) "That boob from Arizona."
c) "That clown Renchburg."
11) What did Richard Nixon call the heads of the Securities and Exchange Commission?
a) "Those dopes at S.E.C."
b) "That bunch of Wall Street nitwits."
c) "The S.E.C. Jewboys."
12) What did Richard Nixon say about his press secretary, Herb Klein?
a) "Klein's a moron, and his name sounds Jewish. Is he a kike?"
b) "Klein just doesn't have his head screwed on."
c) "If Klein was any dumber he'd eat out of the toilet and shit on the table."
ANSWERS: 1) a, 2) b, 3) c, 4) b, 5) a, 6) b, 7) b, 8) c, 9) a, 10) c, 11) c, 12) b
Paul Slansky's quizzes will be a regular feature on 23/6, the new satiric news site coming soon to a computer screen near you.
Plus, most of us would gladly take Nixon back. If nothing else, the man listened to the courts. When the Supreme Court ordered him to hand over his tapes, he did so. Do you think this administration would listen to the Supreme Court? (It's more like the other way around, anyway.)
From the old campaign slogan:
PRESIDENT NIXON. NOW, MORE THAN EVER.
The contemporary and post presidential myth making by these guys is so overwhelming that any effort to dent the majesty is worthwhile
Nixon was less able to pull off the smooth patina we've come to expect from presidents, and he is worthy of study if only as a stage in their evolution.
I think the transcript said "wop" but Nixon actually said something like "that's the kind we want."
Or so says Woodward and Bernstein's "The Final Days."
Nixon said 'bad' words and brought the troops back from Vietnam (among other things).
bush turns his deceitful contempt into war after war!
Give me honest 'bad' words anytime - sticks and stones.
"Hey..I finally got cable"
"We don't want Cheney down here. We're afraid he'll take over."
"I really have come to love the taste of menthol cigarettes"
"Told you that Bush kid was trouble."
"Sue Anthony looks hot in a tube top."
"Reagan's still thinks he served in WWII"
"You'd think being a dead ex-President would get you a free haircut."
They certainly didn't want to play this tape back when Mr. Nose was running for Pres:
From Progressive Review On-Line Report #70 , 28 Jan 1998:
While the press has no problem reporting such stories about Barry (or Dan Quayle for that matter), it has not told the public about the existence of a police tape of Roger Clinton describing his own cocaine trafficking and saying of his brother, "Got to get some for my brother; he's got a nose like a vacuum cleaner."
-- A former informant for a drug task force in Arkansas tells Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of the London Telegraph that she supplied Bill with c ocaine during his first terms as governor. On one occasion, according to the woman, "He was so messed up that night, he slid down the wall into a garbage can."
Certainly, that was well sourced enough for Dan Rather, or/ no one has proven it wrong, yet.
BTW: When Bill Clinton is charged with criminal behavior, prosecuted, and found guilty by a jury then talk to us about his criminal behavior. Until that occurs, or, until Clinton commits an act(s) that is so publicly documented that its existence is undeniable, all of the so called evidence against Clinton's misbehavior is hearsay of dubious validity. No, I'm not a Clinton fan but I believe in due process and basing opinions on facts. Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment and removal by the Senate. Bush's abuses of office are legion and the only thing that keeps the man in office is political loyalty ion the part of his GOP colleagues.
Here's a couple of thoughts.
In part, the recent attention paid to Nixon is an effective reminder of how old Fred Thompson is. I.e., he is so old that even Nixon knew him.
In addition, it is an effective reminder that Fred Thompson is an insider. He pretends to be someone from outside of the beltway, but he is so inside-the-beltway that he was even known and evaluated by Nixon.