Capitol Issues: Tough Guys

In 1968 candidate Nixon anticipated “surrounding the President with men of stature, including young men, and giving them responsibility commensurate with that stature.” He promised “men who will command the public’s respect and the President’s attention by the power of their intellects and the force of their ideas.” These men, he said, “will not have to check their conscience at the door, or leave their powers of independent judgment at home.”

But the men who came to surround the President were the men who had surrounded the candidate. Their work was bad from the start. Today their consequences are disastrous for Mr. Nixon, the Presidency, and the nation. But today’s consequences are natural (if not quite predictable) products of the character traits that were apparent at the start.

About the Author

George F. Will

George F. Will has been a columnist, beginning with National Review, since 1973.

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In 1968 candidate Nixon anticipated “surrounding the President with men of stature, including young men, and giving them responsibility commensurate with that stature.” He promised “men who will command the public’s respect and the President’s attention by the power of their intellects and the force of their ideas.” These men, he said, “will not have to check their conscience at the door, or leave their powers of independent judgment at home.”

But the men who came to surround the President were the men who had surrounded the candidate. Their work was bad from the start. Today their consequences are disastrous for Mr. Nixon, the Presidency, and the nation. But today’s consequences are natural (if not quite predictable) products of the character traits that were apparent at the start.