Nixon on Tape: Fred Thompson "Dumb As Hell...But Friendly"

[Taco John]

ROFL


Fred Thompson has made much of his role 30 years ago as a young Senate lawyer helping to lead the investigation of the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon.

But a much different, less valiant picture of Thompson emerges from listening to the White House audiotapes made at the time, as President Nixon plotted strategy with his aides in the Oval Office.

Thompson's job on the Watergate committee was to lead the Republican side of the investigation. He was appointed by his mentor, Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee, who is now co-chair of Thompson's 2008 presidential bid.

When Nixon's aide H.R. Haldeman told Nixon of Thompson's appointment, Nixon was less than impressed.

"Baker has appointed Fred Thompson as minority counsel," Haldeman is heard saying on one tape.

"Oh sh--, that kid," Nixon responds.

"I guess so," Haldeman replies.

Nixon worried that Thompson's Democratic counterpart, Sam Dash, would outsmart Thompson.

"Well, Dash is too smart for that kid," Nixon says on another tape from March 16, 1973. The existence of the tapes were publicly revealed by a question from Thompson at a Watergate hearing and led to the president's resignation. They are preserved at the National Archives in College Park, Md.

"Sure. Runs circles around him," agrees an aide, John Dean.
As the investigation picked up speed, Nixon grew increasingly concerned about whether Thompson could stand up to the Democrats.

In this May 1973 recording, he shared his concern with then-chief of staff Alexander Haig.

"He's talking to Fred Thompson. I said you're not --," Haig begins.

"Oh sh--, he's dumb as hell. Fred Thompson," Nixon interjects. "Who is he? He won't say anything."

In another conversation some weeks later, Nixon and his advisers were still describing Thompson as not very smart but at least beginning to play ball.

"Our approach is now, we've got a pretty good rapport with Fred Thompson. He came through fine for us this morning," White House counsel Fred Buzhardt says on a tape from June 6.

"He isn't very smart, is he?" Nixon asks.

"Not extremely so, but --," Buzhardt says, interrupted by the president.

"But he's friendly," Nixon says.

"But he's, he's friendly," Buzhardt echoes.

"Good."

A few days later, White House aides are heard saying Thompson will be even more helpful than his boss, Sen. Baker, and that Thompson agreed to secretly help undercut the credibility of White House whistleblower John Dean.

"They've finally got [Dean] under oath," Buzhardt says on a tape from June 11. "Uh, Thompson will work with us. So, good."

"Does he realize that Dean has some problems?" Nixon asks.

"Oh, yes sir," Buhardt responds. "Quite a few...He is willing to work with us; he is also now willing to work with us on shifting some focus to the Democrats. He's finally made up his mind; he's got to start looking at some of their stuff."

Later in the tape, Buzhardt says, "[Thompson is] willing to go, you know, pretty much the distance now. And he said he realized his responsibility was going to have to be as a Republican increasingly."

In his memoir of the Watergate era, Thompson admits to secretly alerting the White House to key evidence as it was discovered by congressional investigators.

Former Watergate committee investigator Scott Armstrong told ABC News that Thompson's cooperation with the White House undermined the investigation.

"It was the equivalent of two prosecutors knowing about something and one of them going behind the scenes and telling the person being accused what the witnesses were saying about him," Armstrong said.

Two months after Buzhardt's comments, Nixon resigned. Thompson would later take credit for helping to reveal the secret White House taping system that led to Nixon's downfall.




http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/10/nixon-on-thomps.html

[penchief]

Dumb as hell? Then I guess he's got a chance. How is that different than Bush or Reagan? After all, the only requirement is to be a figurehead for the elitist policies of the republican party.

[the Talking Can]

subverting an investigation.....awesome, a man of principle...

[ChiefaRoo]

I thought you libs hated Nixon. Now you're quoting him.

Jimmy Carter was and is the dumbest President we've had in my lifetime as it relates to his ability to run the country.

[HolmeZz]

I don't think being dumb as hell will really shake his supporters. If anything, it means they'll have something else in common.

[jAZ]

subverting an investigation.....awesome, a man of principle...
It's funny how he tries to spin his role as a fairly key player in the attempt of a Nixon cover up as some sort of effort to "lead the investigation of the Watergate". Lead the investigation away from the truth.

No wonder the NeoCons are in love with the guy. He's Bush II.

[Adept Havelock]

Wow, Nixon was a paranoid notorious for slamming folks, so his assessment of Fred Thompson's intelligence must be accurate.

That might carry as much weight as someone who called Ron Paul a big poopyhead. :rolleyes:

I was surprised by this. I'll have to do a little more reading on it... :hmmm:

In his memoir of the Watergate era, Thompson admits to secretly alerting the White House to key evidence as it was discovered by congressional investigators.

[Amnorix]

Of course, Bush has set the bar so low we can hardly do anything but go up from where we're at now.

[memyselfI]

Of course, Bush has set the bar so low we can hardly do anything but go up from where we're at now.

When I read your post the following musical passage started playing in my head... :hmmm:


You're A Vegetable, You're A Vegetable
Still They Hate You, You're A Vegetable
You're Just A Buffet, You're A Vegetable
They Eat Off Of You, You're A Vegetable

[ClevelandBronco]

Of course, Bush has set the bar so low we can hardly do anything but go up from where we're at now.

Are you old enough to recall the details of the Carter presidency? I mean really recall it as an adult? I am that old.

That well-meaning fool was easily the least gifted man to hold the office in my lifetime.

[Adept Havelock]

Are you old enough to recall the details of the Carter presidency? I mean really recall it as an adult? I am that old.

That well-meaning fool was easily the least gifted man to hold the office in my lifetime.


He was lousy at that job, but the man wasn't even close to "dumb as hell".

Adm. Rickover never let anyone with that description anywhere near his reactor program.

Naive as hell I'd certainly buy, but not dumb.

As for Carter vs. W....that's like a football game between the 80's Saints and 80's Cardinals. JMO.

[jAZ]

That well-meaning fool was easily the least gifted man to hold the office in my lifetime.
The distance your comments are from reality is quite suprising. I guess you are more George W Bush than Jimmy Carter.

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1128405

No president other than Carter (D) has released his actual IQ, 176.

http://www.geocities.com/rnseitz/Definition_of_IQ.html

1 in 1,000,000 owns an IQ of 176 or above

[ClevelandBronco]

The distance your comments are from reality is quite suprising. I guess you are more George W Bush than Jimmy Carter.

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1128405

No president other than Carter (D) has released his actual IQ, 176.

http://www.geocities.com/rnseitz/Definition_of_IQ.html

1 in 1,000,000 owns an IQ of 176 or above

I don't care about Mr. Carter's I.Q. I do care that he was the most hopelessly ill-equipped man to bumble his way into our highest office in my lifetime.

You're welcome to measure the man however you want. I'll measure him as an absolute embarrassment in the way he carried out the powers of his office.

[Mr. Kotter]

Ah, yes...

the smell of desperation, in the morning. :) :) :)

Ron Paul??? Wasn't he one of the Beatles? Married to the cancer-Hollywood chick or somethin' like that??? :hmmm:


;)





ROFL

[jAZ]

I don't care about Mr. Carter's I.Q. I do care that he was the most hopelessly ill-equipped man to bumble his way into our highest office in my lifetime.

You're welcome to measure the man however you want. I'll measure him as an absolute embarrassment in the way he carried out the powers of his office.
Given that the context of your comments is in response to the idea that Thompson is "Dumb" but Bush "set the bar ... low", your response to Amnorix regarding Carter only makes sense if you are refering to his intellect. Hell, the comparison of each's performance in office doesn't make any sense given Thompson has never served as President.

You see my confusion.

[ClevelandBronco]

You see my confusion.

I've always seen your confusion.

[Logical]

Oh goody a guy barely smart enough to be a Nixon lackey.

[patteeu]

Oh goody a guy barely smart enough to be a Nixon lackey.

This doesn't make much sense since Nixon was a pretty smart man.

[StcChief]

This doesn't make much sense since Nixon was a pretty smart man.
If he was so smart, why did he need to break into Watergate hotel.

He had McGovern by a mile.

[patteeu]

If he was so smart, why did he need to break into Watergate hotel.

He had McGovern by a mile.

Nixon isn't believed to have known about the break-in until after the fact.

[jAZ]

Nixon isn't believed to have known about the break-in until after the fact.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/07/27/magruder.watergate/

Nixon ordered Watergate break-in, ex-aide says
Dean: 'Shred of evidence' supports Magruder's claim

WASHINGTON (CNN) --Former White House counsel John Dean said Sunday there's at least a "shred of evidence" to support a new allegation that President Nixon ordered the Watergate break-in.

The widespread belief is that Nixon was forced to resign because of his role covering up the break-in, but that he didn't order the crime to begin with.

Jeb Stuart Magruder, who was Nixon's deputy campaign director, says he heard the president tell John Mitchell, who was running Nixon's re-election campaign in 1972, to go ahead with a plan to break into the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate complex and bug the party chairman's phone.

Magruder, in a PBS documentary set to be broadcast Wednesday and in an Associated Press interview last week, says he was meeting with Mitchell on March 30, 1972, when he heard Nixon tell Mitchell over the phone to go ahead with the plan, the AP reported Sunday.

The break-in took place June 17 of that year.

Whether Nixon had advance knowledge has gone unanswered for three decades since former Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee first asked, at hearings of the Senate Watergate Committee, "What did the president know, and when did he know it?"

Dean told CNN on Sunday that he was surprised by Magruder's revelation but has since found an intriguing White House tape he thinks might bolster Magruder's claim.

"It's something I had never heard before Magruder made it, and I can't say that I have any evidence that [he is] right," Dean said on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." "I can't say I have any evidence that he is wrong."

After being made aware of Magruder's comments late last week, Dean said he began to review Nixon's White House tapes and found "a little shred of evidence" to support Magruder's claim.

"I found that in March of 1973, that Bob Haldeman, the White House chief of staff, was told by one of the lawyers over at the re-election committee that Jeb was saying to them that the plan to break in the Watergate had been approved by the president," Dean said.

"And it's very interesting -- Nixon has no reaction on the tape that I saw."

The finding would suggest Magruder was making the same allegation during the Watergate scandal. But for whatever reason, it was not publicized.

Asked by the AP why he never came forward with his information, Magruder replied, "Nobody ever asked me a question about that."

Magruder said that even in the Senate Watergate Committee hearings, he was never specifically asked whether the president was involved. He said he would have told the truth if asked.

Dean said he wished Magruder would have revealed his knowledge 30 years ago "when it wasn't just a bit of historical minutiae" but was a central part of the Watergate scandal.

Still, "I can't imagine why Jeb would have any motive to lie at this point," Dean said.

Magruder pleaded guilty to conspiracy and perjury charges stemming from the break-in and was jailed for seven months. He later became a Presbyterian minister. Dean said part of the reason Magruder refrained from discussing the detail was because it might reflect negatively on his congregation.

"But he said now seemed to be the time -- that he wanted to get it on the historical record," Dean told CNN.

Although he admits to being surprised by Magruder's claim, Dean said he suspected Nixon had authorized the burglary because of tapes in which the president ordered other break-ins.

Nixon calls for a break-in at the Brookings Institution at least three different times, Dean said. One tape records the president asking Haldeman whether he authorized the break-in at the psychiatrist's office of Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, because he can't remember whether he did.

"I think you have a mentality there [with Nixon] who certainly could have approved this," Dean said, "and now I think we have to scour the tapes a little bit more closely to see if, indeed, we can find more of what Magruder's saying."

Revelation in documentary
Magruder makes the assertion in the PBS documentary "Watergate Plus 30: Shadow of History."

The way Magruder tells the story, Nixon knew everything from the beginning.

Magruder says that on March 30, 1972, he met with Mitchell and discussed a plan by G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent, to break into the Democratic Party headquarters to bug Democratic Party chairman Larry O'Brien's phone.

Magruder said Mitchell asked him to call Haldeman to see "if this is really necessary."

Haldeman told him "yes," Magruder said, and then asked to speak to Mitchell. Mitchell and Haldeman talked, and then "the president gets on the line," Magruder said.

Magruder told the AP he knew it was Nixon "because his voice is very distinct, and you couldn't miss who was on the phone."

Magruder said he could hear Nixon tell Mitchell, "John, ... we need to get the information on Larry O'Brien, and the only way we can do that is through Liddy's plan. And you need to do that."

Mitchell got off the phone, Magruder said, and told him: "Jeb, tell Maury Stans to give Liddy $250,000 and let's see what happens."

Maurice Stans was Nixon's commerce secretary and later was chief fund-raiser for the re-election campaign as head of the finance committee.

Magruder concedes that he did not hear every single word while Nixon was on the phone with Mitchell, but "I heard the import," he said.

Mitchell, Haldeman, Stans and Nixon are all dead.

John Taylor, executive director of the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation, told the AP there is no evidence Nixon ordered the break-in.

"Indeed, all existing evidence demonstrates that he was shocked and surprised that it had occurred and spent weeks, if not months, attempting to find out why," Taylor told the AP.

Dean went to prison for four months for his role in the scandal. Haldeman and Mitchell also served prison terms.

Liddy served more than four years, then became a radio talk-show host and made speeches characterizing Dean as the project's mastermind. Dean has called the allegation "baloney."

In all, 25 people went to jail for their roles in the break-in or the attempt to cover it up.

[Logical]

Are you old enough to recall the details of the Carter presidency? I mean really recall it as an adult? I am that old.

That well-meaning fool was easily the least gifted man to hold the office in my lifetime.

I am that old and George the 2nd is worse than Carter, the occupation failure easily trumps Iran and the Desert disaster.

By the way for those of you who correctly point out that Carter was a genius level IQ yet a poor President, that is not a reason to accept a dumb man on the premise the inverse will be true.

[patteeu]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/07/27/magruder.watergate/

Nixon ordered Watergate break-in, ex-aide says
Dean: 'Shred of evidence' supports Magruder's claim

WASHINGTON (CNN) --Former White House counsel John Dean said Sunday there's at least a "shred of evidence" to support a new allegation that President Nixon ordered the Watergate break-in.

The widespread belief is that Nixon was forced to resign because of his role covering up the break-in, but that he didn't order the crime to begin with.

Jeb Stuart Magruder, who was Nixon's deputy campaign director, says he heard the president tell John Mitchell, who was running Nixon's re-election campaign in 1972, to go ahead with a plan to break into the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate complex and bug the party chairman's phone.

Magruder, in a PBS documentary set to be broadcast Wednesday and in an Associated Press interview last week, says he was meeting with Mitchell on March 30, 1972, when he heard Nixon tell Mitchell over the phone to go ahead with the plan, the AP reported Sunday.

The break-in took place June 17 of that year.

Whether Nixon had advance knowledge has gone unanswered for three decades since former Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee first asked, at hearings of the Senate Watergate Committee, "What did the president know, and when did he know it?"

Dean told CNN on Sunday that he was surprised by Magruder's revelation but has since found an intriguing White House tape he thinks might bolster Magruder's claim.

"It's something I had never heard before Magruder made it, and I can't say that I have any evidence that [he is] right," Dean said on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." "I can't say I have any evidence that he is wrong."

After being made aware of Magruder's comments late last week, Dean said he began to review Nixon's White House tapes and found "a little shred of evidence" to support Magruder's claim.

"I found that in March of 1973, that Bob Haldeman, the White House chief of staff, was told by one of the lawyers over at the re-election committee that Jeb was saying to them that the plan to break in the Watergate had been approved by the president," Dean said.

"And it's very interesting -- Nixon has no reaction on the tape that I saw."

The finding would suggest Magruder was making the same allegation during the Watergate scandal. But for whatever reason, it was not publicized.

Asked by the AP why he never came forward with his information, Magruder replied, "Nobody ever asked me a question about that."

Magruder said that even in the Senate Watergate Committee hearings, he was never specifically asked whether the president was involved. He said he would have told the truth if asked.

Dean said he wished Magruder would have revealed his knowledge 30 years ago "when it wasn't just a bit of historical minutiae" but was a central part of the Watergate scandal.

Still, "I can't imagine why Jeb would have any motive to lie at this point," Dean said.

Magruder pleaded guilty to conspiracy and perjury charges stemming from the break-in and was jailed for seven months. He later became a Presbyterian minister. Dean said part of the reason Magruder refrained from discussing the detail was because it might reflect negatively on his congregation.

"But he said now seemed to be the time -- that he wanted to get it on the historical record," Dean told CNN.

Although he admits to being surprised by Magruder's claim, Dean said he suspected Nixon had authorized the burglary because of tapes in which the president ordered other break-ins.

Nixon calls for a break-in at the Brookings Institution at least three different times, Dean said. One tape records the president asking Haldeman whether he authorized the break-in at the psychiatrist's office of Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, because he can't remember whether he did.

"I think you have a mentality there [with Nixon] who certainly could have approved this," Dean said, "and now I think we have to scour the tapes a little bit more closely to see if, indeed, we can find more of what Magruder's saying."

Revelation in documentary
Magruder makes the assertion in the PBS documentary "Watergate Plus 30: Shadow of History."

The way Magruder tells the story, Nixon knew everything from the beginning.

Magruder says that on March 30, 1972, he met with Mitchell and discussed a plan by G. Gordon Liddy, a former FBI agent, to break into the Democratic Party headquarters to bug Democratic Party chairman Larry O'Brien's phone.

Magruder said Mitchell asked him to call Haldeman to see "if this is really necessary."

Haldeman told him "yes," Magruder said, and then asked to speak to Mitchell. Mitchell and Haldeman talked, and then "the president gets on the line," Magruder said.

Magruder told the AP he knew it was Nixon "because his voice is very distinct, and you couldn't miss who was on the phone."

Magruder said he could hear Nixon tell Mitchell, "John, ... we need to get the information on Larry O'Brien, and the only way we can do that is through Liddy's plan. And you need to do that."

Mitchell got off the phone, Magruder said, and told him: "Jeb, tell Maury Stans to give Liddy $250,000 and let's see what happens."

Maurice Stans was Nixon's commerce secretary and later was chief fund-raiser for the re-election campaign as head of the finance committee.

Magruder concedes that he did not hear every single word while Nixon was on the phone with Mitchell, but "I heard the import," he said.

Mitchell, Haldeman, Stans and Nixon are all dead.

John Taylor, executive director of the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation, told the AP there is no evidence Nixon ordered the break-in.

"Indeed, all existing evidence demonstrates that he was shocked and surprised that it had occurred and spent weeks, if not months, attempting to find out why," Taylor told the AP.

Dean went to prison for four months for his role in the scandal. Haldeman and Mitchell also served prison terms.

Liddy served more than four years, then became a radio talk-show host and made speeches characterizing Dean as the project's mastermind. Dean has called the allegation "baloney."

In all, 25 people went to jail for their roles in the break-in or the attempt to cover it up.

Thanks for the back-up jAZ.

[Laz]

"Dumb As Hell...But Friendly"

thompson is a lock to get the GOP nomination now.


just the way they like their Potus :thumb:

[jAZ]

Thanks for the back-up jAZ.
What an amazing display of seeing only what you want.

ROFL

Thanks for the chuckle at your expense.