My mom was a Democrat and I was scared to death that she was gonna blow it. First I was going to hell with Monroe, and now to Republican hell with Nixon.
I first came on the scene during the Johnson years and that crowd was out all the time enjoying themselves. Nixon wasn't particularly social but a lot of the people in his administration were.
Throughout the 20th century, the Republican Party benefited from a non-interventionist foreign policy. Think of how Eisenhower came in to stop the Korean War. Think of how Nixon was elected to stop the mess in Vietnam.
There were dragons to slay in the old days. Nixon was a good dragon.
Some people thought we were presenting Archie as a false character. President Nixon thought we were making a fool out of a good man.
I wrote that letter, and the one to Nixon. And I wrote more letters, and I thought it might be a magazine article. At that time I sent it to Esquire and Playboy, but anyway, I kept writing, and all of sudden I had enough and thought, well maybe it is a book.
You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.
In my mind, the re-election of Richard Nixon, compared with what was available on the other side, was so much more important that I put it in just that context.
As President Nixon says, presidents can do almost anything, and President Nixon has done many things that nobody would have thought of doing.
Even when they don't know who Nixon was, these shows will continue to play.
The Vietnam War required us to emphasize the national interest rather than abstract principles. What President Nixon and I tried to do was unnatural. And that is why we didn't make it.
The essence of Richard Nixon is loneliness.
It was a Greek tragedy. Nixon was fulfilling his own nature. Once it started it could not end otherwise.
I used to think we were going to win in the '60s. Nixon went out and I thought we won.
Do you realize the responsibility I carry? I'm the only person standing between Richard Nixon and the White House.