The Good Old Days Weren't That Hot Either

Reflecting on the last week in politics, the good old days were not that great either. One president resigned in disgrace.  The other got very close to leaving in disgrace as well.

Nixon Debated Paying Blackmail, Clemency 'Keep Cap on Bottle' By Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, May 1, 1974; Page A01 President Nixon, during a lengthy meeting in the Oval Office on March 21, 1973, told White House counsel John W. Dean III that "you have no choice but to come up with the $120,000" demanded as blackmail payment by one of the Watergate burglars, according to an edited transcript of the meeting. The transcript reveals that Mr. Nixon, on his own initiative, discussed accommodating blackmail demands on at least a half-dozen occasions during the meeting without once suggesting that paying the men for their silence would be wrong. Instead, the transcript reveals, Mr. Nixon repeatedly discussed different methods by which as much as $1 million could be paid to the burglars without the payments being traced to the White House. The purpose of such payments, in the President's own words, would be "to keep the cap on the bottle," to "buy time," to "tough it through." "How much money do you need?" the President asked Dean early in the March 21 conversation, according to the transcript. "I would say these people are going to cost a million dollars over the next two years," Dean replied. "We could get that," the President continued. "On the money, if you need the money you could get that. You could get a million dollars. You could get it in cash. I know where it could be gotten. It is not easy, but it could be done. But the question is who the hell would handle it? Any ideas on that?"  And Bill Clinton said: "I did not have sex with that woman Monica Lewinsky".  January 26, 1988. A few minutes ago I listened to a bunch of college kids opining on Donald Trump and his penis at College Humor.com.