Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The wit and wisdom of Nixon

Remarks from our 37th president, by far our funniest, given to acolyte Monica Crowley and published in Nixon Off the Record (1996):
He changed his tone again and said, "Murphy Brown sounds like a man. Is that that Candice Bergen Show?" I answered him, and he continued, "I met her once when she was about sixteen and I went to a party at the Bergens'. Anyway, I cannot believe that a fictional character made it into the Oval Office. The press was wrong to ask Bush about as he was standing there with [Canadian prime minister Brian] Mulroney. `Oh, gee,' I would have said, `I don't follow the show. Next question.'"
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"'The 1960 election was probably the greatest election of this century because the candidates were both outstanding,' he said on September 4, 1992."
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"Well! Look at that Cabinet. Aren't they an awful-looking group? My God! [Health and Human Services Secretary Donna] Shalala and [Attorney General Janet] Reno? They are so far to the left that I don't know what they are. And Hillary! She's so steely! She even claps in a controlled way. She's a true-believing liberal."
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Nixon was very interested in [the Gennifer Flowers case] and its political ramifications. "They've got tapes? Well, then, he covered it up. Just like Watergate?" he asked with a smile. "At least ours was for a good cause. And no one ever profited from it."

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