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'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire
'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey
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Speaking of Nixon... https://gwern.net/doc/rotten.com/library/history/political-scandal/watergate/index.html
A satirical (and highly amusing) look at his resignation speech:
In August, Nixon faced the music. In a televised address to the nation, he tendered his resignation amid a final flurry of self-serving lies. The following excerpts are annotated for your convenience:
"I would have preferred to carry through to the finish (true) whatever the personal agony it would have involved, and my family unanimously urged me to do so (lie). But the interest of the Nation must always come before any personal considerations (lie).
"From the discussions I have had with Congressional and other leaders, I have concluded that because of the Watergate matter I might not have the support of the Congress that I would consider necessary to back the very difficult decisions and carry out the duties of this office in the way the interests of the Nation would require (true).
"I have never been a quitter (lie; remember "You won't have Nixon to kick around"?). To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body (true). But as President, I must put the interest of America first (lie). America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad (true).
"To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issues of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home (true). "Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow (true). Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office (true).
"As I recall the high hopes for America with which we began this second term, I feel a great sadness that I will not be here in this office working on your behalf to achieve those hopes in the next 2 1/2 years (true). But in turning over direction of the Government to Vice President Ford, I know, as I told the Nation when I nominated him for that office 10 months ago, that the leadership of America will be in good hands (white lie).
"In passing this office to the Vice President, I also do so with the profound sense of the weight of responsibility that will fall on his shoulders tomorrow (lie) and, therefore, of the understanding, the patience, the cooperation he will need from all Americans (true, but he's thinking mostly about his pardon here).
"As he assumes that responsibility, he will deserve the help and the support of all of us (true). As we look to the future, the first essential is to begin healing the wounds of this Nation, to put the bitterness and divisions of the recent past behind us (true but self-serving), and to rediscover those shared ideals that lie at the heart of our strength and unity as a great and as a free people (more or less true).
"By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America (lie).
"I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision (lie). I would say only that if some of my judgments were wrong, and some were wrong (true), they were made in what I believed at the time to be the best interest of the Nation (lie).
"To those who have stood with me during these past difficult months, to my family, my friends, to many others who joined in supporting my cause because they believed it was right, I will be eternally grateful for your support (true).
"And to those who have not felt able to give me your support, let me say I leave with no bitterness toward those who have opposed me (big whopping lie), because all of us, in the final analysis, have been concerned with the good of the country, however our judgments might differ (half-true). ...
"I shall leave this office with regret at not completing my term (true), but with gratitude for the privilege of serving as your President for the past 5 1/2 years (lie). These years have been a momentous time in the history of our Nation and the world (true). They have been a time of achievement in which we can all be proud, achievements that represent the shared efforts of the Administration, the Congress, and the people (lie, except for the China trip, which was pretty good).
"But the challenges ahead are equally great, and they, too, will require the support and the efforts of the Congress and the people working in cooperation with the new Administration (true).
"Here in America, we are fortunate that most of our people have not only the blessings of liberty (matter of opinion) but also the means to live full and good and, by the world's standards, even abundant lives (true). ...
"For more than a quarter of a century in public life I have shared in the turbulent history of this era (true). I have fought for what I believed in (kinda true). I have tried to the best of my ability to discharge those duties and meet those responsibilities that were entrusted to me (lie). ..."
And speaking of the orange buffoon, a local Iowa burger joint has applied a very clever sense of humour to their menu 😃
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'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire
'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey
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AlterNet - Ex-president ridiculed for small crowd at telerally event
Donald Trump on Saturday opted to do a "telerally" Iowa event because of bad weather, but some have pointed out the event's rather lackluster appearance. ...
Trump canceled two events, including Sioux City in frozen-over Iowa, scheduled for tonight.
In the last several hours the campaign put together a moderated, flag-draped event in Des Moines with Trump seated in a chair flanked by [a few] supporters, airing on a livestream.
Former federal and state prosecutor, [Republican] Ron Filipkowski pointed out that the event did not pass muster : "He looks like the Director of an Assisted Living Facility tonight calling out bingo numbers ..."
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The NY Times - Key Trump Lawyer Withdraws as Manhattan Criminal Trial Nears
15 Jan 2024
Joseph Tacopina, the trial lawyer on Donald J. Trump’s legal team with the most successes defending high-profile clients, will no longer represent the former president in his criminal trial in Manhattan, according to a notice sent to the court on Monday.
Mr. Tacopina also withdrew on Monday from another case in which he was still legally representing Mr. Trump: an appeal of the verdict in a lawsuit brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll. Mr. Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation last year and was ordered to pay Ms. Carroll $5 million.
His departure from the two cases comes as Mr. Trump enters a year of legal uncertainty.
We are assured that Trump still has “the most experienced, qualified, disciplined, and overall strongest legal team ever assembled.” 😉
EDIT: Is this another delay tactic? Trump could argue that he has to get another attorney up-to-date, which would take take "several months".
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