American history continues:
The Rise and Fall of Richard Nixon by Michael Doyle Richard Nixon was a non-charming and awkward leader But then again to the astute among history readers His reappraisal warrants much for our consideration Hard born and raised, his life drove his ambition A Navy man who became a determined hardball anti-communist He was Ike's right hand man as his Vice President In 1968, rising from his ashes, he sought an honorable peace Drawing down forces, his Vietnamization drove our release Henry Kissinger secretly negotiated the Paris Peace Accords He and Le Duc Tho won the Nobel Peace Prize for the record Capitalizing on the growing Soviet-Sino rift, Nixon made history Proving himself quite masterful at the art of diplomacy Cold Warrior Nixon opened China to détente And then again with Russia as easy as we might want He and Kissinger practiced the Realpolitik of realism As the Nixon Doctrine held our interests with optimism Shifting back and forth from left to right politics domestically He faced down inflation and OPEC's embargo less masterfully It festered stagflation and yet he handily won reelection His dirty tricks and Watergate swung his victory another direction This and worse pointed towards accusations of abuse of power This including taping of conversations for endless hours On August 9,1974, President Nixon tendered his resignation He did so for the focused good of his beloved nation His were the mangled ways of an imperial presidency One that had gone beyond the Constitution for expediency With the ascent of the modest Gerald Ford to this office The country gained an optimistic Ford not a Lincoln on purpose Acutely aware that his rise to office needed affirmation He graciously spoke of his need for prayerful confirmation Still in retribution, Congress allowed South Vietnam to fall While in Cambodia, Pol Pot lined millions up against the wall Peanut farmer Jimmy Carter took presidential office in 1976 Hoping that simplicity and humility might provide needed fix Making job one, energy policy as his foremost priority Donning a swear and blaming American malaise brought his history Surging inflation and unemployment were at an all time high Coupled with Iran, gave Carter just enough time to say goodbye Between hostages and gaffes, he had lost his credibility His policies of accommodation showed clear his place in history As he stood by and allowed the Russians to enter Afghanistan Blunders like these made necessary the transformative man... (c) April 10, 2020 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
