The big day has finally come and our fearless leader has to go before an hostile Congress and an hostile nation. Just to get us all in the correct mood, I offer this flashback from the Watergate Tapes (.pdf).
MARCH 21, 1973, FROM 10:12 TO 11:55 A.M.
DEAN: Uh, the reason I thought we ought to talk this morning is because in, in our
conversations, uh, uh, I have, I have the
impression that you don’t know everything I
know
PRESIDENT: That’s right.
DEAN: …and it makes it very difficult for you to
make judgments that, uh, that only you can
make…
PRESIDENT: That’s right.
DEAN: … on some of these things and I thought
that–
PRESIDENT: You’ve got, in other words, I’ve got to know why you feel that, uh, that something…
DEAN: Well, let me…
PRESIDENT: …that, that we shouldn’t unravel
something.DEAN: …let me give you my overall first.
PRESIDENT: In other words, you, your judgment as to where it stands, and where we go now—
DEAN: I think, I think that, uh, there’s no doubt
about the seriousness of the problem we’re,
we’ve got. We have a cancer–within, close
to the Presidency, that’s growing. It’s
growing daily. It’s compounding, it grows
geometrically now because it compounds
itself. Uh, that’ll be clear as I explain
you know, some of the details, uh, of why it
is, and it basically is because (1) we’re
being blackmailed; (2) uh, people are going
to start perjuring themself very quickly
that have not had to perjure themselves to
protect other people and the like. And that
is just–and there is no assurance–
PRESIDENT: That it won’t bust.
DEAN: That, that won’t bust.
PRESIDENT: True.
Oh. Wait. Wait. Wait. We need just a little more to get us perfectly primed.
PRESIDENT: How much money do you need?
DEAN: I would say these people are going to cost,
uh, a million dollars over the next, uh, –
two years. (Pause)
PRESIDENT: We could get that.
DEAN: Uh, huh.
PRESIDENT: You, on the money, if you need the money, I mean, uh’ you could get the money. Let’s
say–
DEAN: Well, I think that we’re going–
PRESIDENT: What I mean is, you could, you could get a million dollars. And you could get it in
cash. I, I know where it could be gotten.
DEAN: Uh, huh.
Okay. Feel better now? Ready to discuss the State of the Union?
Good. You know, it’s just a bit ironic that John Dean’s former assistant, Fred Fielding, has replaced Harriet Miers as the President’s chief counsel. Maybe he will have better sense than to debate how best to suborn perjury with his client. But you never know. This administration seems hell bent on repeating every mistake of the Nixon administration. You can read Nixon’s 1974 State of the Union address here. He mentions Watergate at the end:
“Another point I should like to make very briefly: Like every Member of the House and Senate assembled here tonight, I was elected to the office that I hold. And like every Member of the House and Senate, when I was elected to that office, I knew that I was elected for the purpose of doing a job and doing it as well as I possibly can. And I want you to know that I have no intention whatever of ever walking away from the job that the people elected me to do for the people of the United States.”
I know Bush can do better than this. There is no reason for him to stick it out. He should announce his abdication. Nixon made it to August 8th. I hope Bush and Cheney are gone by that date.
As for Bush’s actual speech, he plans to focus on domestic issues, including a health care plan that will go absolutely nowhere. What do you all expect to see? What do you think the media reaction will be?
