Nixon, Kissinger and Mitchell sittin’ ’round talkin’ ’bout enemies, leftwingers and sonabitches
by digby
“If whole file cabinets can be stolen and made available to the press you can’t have orderly government anymore.”
That was over 50 years ago. And the only thing that fell apart was Richard Nixon’s criminal administration. I’d say the lesson is to be very skeptical of government officials who say the sky will fall if the public finds out what they’re doing.
Two weeks later, by the way, this happened:
By “going after that son-of-a-bitch” Ellsberg, it turned out hat he meant breaking into his psychiatrist’s office.
I don’t expect that President Obama has done anything like this. But can we imagine President Ted Cruz doing it? Or how about if John McCain had won and Sarah Palin assumed the presidency in case McCain has prematurely shuffled off his mortal coil?
The fact is that Richard Nixon got caught breaking the law. So did Ronald Reagan. So did George W. Bush. And the Pentagon papers showed that the Kennedy and Johnson administration’s were not exactly above board when it came to the war either. This kind of power will be abused. And the only thing they really have to fear is being exposed for doing it. It’s the one thing we have.