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The Presidency of the United States [br]of America

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is often said to be one of [br]the most powerful positions in the world.

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But of all the U.S. Presidents accused[br]of misusing that power,

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only one has left office as a result.

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Does Richard Nixon deserve [br]to be remembered

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for more than the scandal [br]that ended his presidency?

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Find out as we put this disgraced [br]President's legacy on trial

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in History v. Richard Nixon.

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Order, order.

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Now, who's the defendant today,[br]some kind of crook?

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<i>Cough.</i> No, your honor.

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This is Richard Millhouse Nixon,[br]the 37th President of the United States,

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who served from 1969 to 1974.

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Hold on.

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That's a weird number of years[br]for a President to serve.

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Well, you see. President Nixon[br]resigned for the good of the nation,

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and was pardoned by President Ford,[br]who took over after.

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He resigned because he was about[br]to be impeached,

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and he didn't want the full extent[br]of his crimes exposed.

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And what were these crimes?

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Your honor, the Watergate scandal[br]was one of the grossest abuses

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of Presidential power in history.

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Nixon's men broke into the Democratic[br]National Committee headquarters

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to wiretap the offices [br]and dig up dirt on opponents

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for the reelection campaign.

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<i>Cough</i>

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It was established that the President[br]did not order this burglary.

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But as soon as he learned of it,[br]he did everything to cover it up,

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while lying about it for months.

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Uh, yes, but it was for the good [br]of the country.

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He did so much during his time in office,[br]and could have done so much more

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without a scandal jeopardizing [br]his accomplishments.

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Uh, accomplishments?

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Yes, your honor.

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Did you know it was President Nixon

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who proposed the creation[br]of the Environmental Protection Agency,

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and signed the National Environmental[br]Policy Act into law?

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Not to mention the Endangered Species Act,

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Marine Mammal Protection Act,

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expansion of the Clean Air Act.

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Sounds pretty progressive of him.

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Progressive? Hardly.

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Nixon's Presidential campaign courted[br]Southern voters

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through fear and resentment[br]of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Speaking of Civil Rights,

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the prosecution may be surprised to learn[br]that he signed the Title 9 ammendment,

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banning gender-based discrimination[br]in education,

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and ensured the desegregation of schools[br]occurred peacefully,

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and he lowered the voting age to 18,[br]so that students could vote.

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He didn't have much concern[br]for students

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after four were shot [br]by the National Guard at Kent State.

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Instead, he called them bums [br]for protesting the Vietnam War,

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a war he had campaigned on ending.

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But he did end it.

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He ended it two years after taking office.

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Meanwhile, his campaign had sabotoged[br]the previous President's peace talks,

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urging the South Vietnamese government[br]to hold out for supposedly better terms,

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which, I might add, didn't materialize.

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So, he protracted the war for four years,

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in which 20,000 more U.S. troops,[br]and over a million more Vietnamese,

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died for nothing.

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Hmm, a Presidential Candidate interfering[br]in foreign negotiations--

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isn't that treason?

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It is, your honor, a clear violation[br]of the Logan Act of 1799.

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Uh, I think we're forgetting [br]President Nixon's many

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foreign policy achievements.

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It was he who normalized ties with China,[br]forging economic ties that continue today.

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Are we so sure that's a good thing?

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And don't forget his support[br]of the coup in Chili

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that replaced the democratically-elected[br]President Allende

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with a brutal military dictator.

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It was part of the fight [br]against communism.

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Weren't tierney and violence the reasons[br]we opposed Communism to begin with?

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Or was it just fear of the lower class[br]rising up against the rich?

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President Nixon couldn't have predicted[br]the violence of Pinchet's regime,

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and being anti-Communist didn't mean[br]neglecting the poor.

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He proposed a guaranteed basic income[br]for all American families,

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still a radical concept today.

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And he even pushed for comprehensive[br]healthcare reform,

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just the kind that passed 40 years later.

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I'm still confused about [br]this burglary business.

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Was he a crook or not?

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Your honor, President Nixon may have [br]violated a law or two,

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but what was the real harm compared[br]to all he accomplished while in office?

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The harm was to democracy itself.

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The whole point of the ideals Nixon [br]claimed to promote abroad

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is that leaders are accountable[br]to the people,

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and when they hold themselves[br]above the law for whatever reason,

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those ideals are undermined.

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And if you don't hold people accountable[br]to the law, I'll be out of a job.

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Many politicians have compromised[br]some principles to achieve results,

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but law breaking and cover-ups threaten[br]the very fabric the national is built on.

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Those who do so may find [br]their entire legacy tainted

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when history is put on trial.