The Nixon administration and domestic policy

Richard Nixon's Administration And The Watergate Scandal: Threats To American Governance In The Midst Of The Cold War

Well-known for his involvement in the Watergate Scandal and the resulting resignation from his post as President of the United States, Richard Nixon's term as president was filled with controversy and conflict. This character of Nixon's presidency can be attributed to the fact that during his term, Cold War has escalated to high levels in the Asian region, specifically on the American intervention and involvement in the ongoing Vietnam War. In the midst of this participation in this one aspect of the war, Nixon also faced charges against him, wherein he was accused of tax evasion and political espionage, among others.

This turn of events surrounding Nixon's presidency resulted to two contending arguments: was Nixon's actions motivated by the psyche of paranoia because of the Cold War, or he was simply "flawed" as an individual, who became a victim of the power and influence that his position granted him? This was the main question contemplated in this paper, as the dynamics concerning the Watergate scandal was studied more carefully, putting it in the context of the Cold War, and specifically, the Vietnam War. As supporting detail to the analysis, insights from the book "All the President's Men" are included in the discussion.

This paper posits, in effect, that Nixon's actions during his term as U.S. president can be both attributed to his flawed character and the Cold War. The Cold War acted as a catalyst that made him implement ineffective means to curb the war at Vietnam, while his position of power as President made him susceptible to commit tax evasion and political espionage. The power he commanded during the Cold War made him susceptible to accepting and using more power and influence to commit these crimes, at the expense of the American citizenry and the political system.

All the President's Men" presented an intriguing sketch of Nixon's involvement in the Watergate scandal during its early stages, particularly when Bernstein and Woodward were illustrating the day of the burglars' arrest at the Watergate hotel. The authors' remark that a break-in committed by Republicans "seemed implausible," owing to the fact that "the President stood ahead of all announced Democratic candidates in the polls by no less than 19 points." This assumption, indeed, pointed to the probability that the break-in was committed by another group, and not the Democrats' closest rival, the Republicans.

This finding during the Watergate investigation reflected a lot about Nixon's psyche during this period. Holding all things equal -- that is, discounting the fact that there is an ongoing war at Vietnam -- his actions can be considered as atypical, yet typical of a politician who abused his power and influence. His actions were atypical because he actually committed these crimes to the highest extent, going so far as to avoid accountability even when presented with evidence that indeed, he was heavily linked to Watergate break-in. However, his behavior towards his political rivals and towards politics, in general, was typical in the sense that he became paranoid and insecure, and his commitment of these crimes reflected his need to verify whether he still wields power and influence over his political allies and the citizenry. Thus, he felt the need to "spy" against his rivals and abuse his power by avoiding accountability and doing his responsibility to pay his taxes. He became consumed by the power and influence embedded in his position as President that he forgot the extent of his accountability to the people -- that these privileges of power and influence are duly given by the people, and not his to be abused and take advantage of.

This analysis of Nixon's character illustrates one hand of his eventual development as a 'crook politician.' At the back of the Watergate scandal and Nixon's commitment of high crimes, the Vietnam War loomed as a great pressure that tested Nixon's ability to govern his country in the area of international political affairs. His role was most crucial because the U.S. was the primary instigator of the Cold War, which the Vietnam was part of. The need to implement the most effective policy to prevent the Vietnam War from escalating was further intensified by the growing clamor to withdraw military troops. The strong opposition of the civil society, as well as the Congress and Senate, against the participation of the country to the war acted as a pressure that tested Nixon's ability to decide on the course of action that the country would take -- ultimately, to take the exit from the Cold War it had mitigated early on.