"Nixon was far worse than we thought"

Woodward and Bernstein on Watergate

A really interesting piece in the Sunday Washington Post by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward who broke the Watergate story for the Washington Post in the 1970s. They do a great job of breaking down what Watergate was and why it mattered, and presenting it in a way that's comprehensible. Here's their conclusion:

The Watergate that we wrote about in The Washington Post from 1972 to 1974 is not Watergate as we know it today. It was only a glimpse into something far worse. By the time he was forced to resign, Nixon had turned his White House, to a remarkable extent, into a criminal enterprise.

On the day he left, Aug. 9, 1974, Nixon gave an emotional farewell speech in the East Room to his staff, his friends and his Cabinet. His family stood with him. Near the end of his remarks, he waved his arm, as if to highlight the most important thing he had to say.

“Always remember,” he said, “others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.”

His hatred had brought about his downfall. Nixon apparently grasped this insight, but it was too late. He had already destroyed himself.