tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post7596936040918566193..comments2023-10-31T06:25:46.016-04:00Comments on SLANTblog: Coldest of WarriorsF.T. Reahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042465274190082050noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-52823921708986105592008-12-07T20:44:00.000-05:002008-12-07T20:44:00.000-05:00I cede to the home team. Thanks for letting me ma...I cede to the home team. Thanks for letting me make my case. <BR/><BR/>BTW, nice artwork.Paul Hammondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00672123256678811134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-28829639344434720322008-12-07T18:04:00.000-05:002008-12-07T18:04:00.000-05:00Paul,Thank you for your comments. But you are read...Paul,<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your comments. But you are reading what you want into this thing. <BR/><BR/>Defend Nixon if you like, but the sections of my post you cite don't back up what you're saying. And, I certainly don't see why you put yourself, Obama and me in the same sentence.F.T. Reahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042465274190082050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-53350675572114388352008-12-07T13:38:00.000-05:002008-12-07T13:38:00.000-05:00It seemed like that's exactly what you were doing....It seemed like that's exactly what you were doing.<BR/><BR/> <I>"he demagogued and exploited the bitter division between World War II era parents and their Baby Boomer offspring in such a way that many families have never recovered."<BR/><BR/>...<BR/><BR/>"Nixon's nefarious strategy for securing power divided this country like nothing since the Civil War."<BR/><BR/>...<BR/><BR/>"since his paranoia-driven scandal, the best young people no longer feel drawn into public service" </I><BR/><BR/><B> <BR/>No doubt he was paranoid, but he was just one of many who shaped the era and he certainly wasn't responsible for the world he inherited.<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure I can boil Nixon's character and and legacy down. He had one of the boldest anti-poverty programs ever proposes. He was a virulant anti communist, yet he pursued a policy of missile reduction and detente. He didn't put 500,000 Americans into Vietnam, but by the time he left, most were out.<BR/><BR/>Without a doubt he's not the first President to spy on Americans or to vilify and lie about their political enemies.<BR/><BR/>Nixon didn't win in '72 by the greatest landslides in history because of dirty tricks, which was the tragedy of his career. He would have won anyway. I say all this being supervised by the George McGovern poster hovering on the wall behind me, which I earned before I could vote.<BR/><BR/>We all bear responsibilities for the bitter divisions that divide society. Nixon didn't come between myself and my parents and it seems like you, me and Barack Obama are among the thousands of people in their 40's or 50's who stayed involved in politics.<BR/></B>Paul Hammondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00672123256678811134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-28730851093884890002008-12-05T20:39:00.000-05:002008-12-05T20:39:00.000-05:00Paul H,Nixon is a unique figure in American histor...Paul H,<BR/><BR/>Nixon is a unique figure in American history. But I'm hardly blaming all the angst or anything else on one guy. <BR/><BR/>Don't get your point.F.T. Reahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042465274190082050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-41416771513217254982008-12-05T15:46:00.000-05:002008-12-05T15:46:00.000-05:00Politics and politicians were and have been dirty ...Politics and politicians were and have been dirty long before and since tricky Dick. To blame the angst and anger of the last 35 years on one person is giving him way too much credit and us too little.<BR/><BR/>IMHO it's not the few actions of the "great", but the many actions of the great masses, a few examples of whom can usually be found by looking in the mirror (which is why I shave in the shower).Paul Hammondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00672123256678811134noreply@blogger.com