Richard M. Nixon

At the outset of her short biography of Richard Nixon (1913 -- 1994), Elizabeth Drew quotes Henry Kissinger's comment: "Can you imagine what this man would be like if someone loved him"? Nixon served as the 37th President of the United States and as the only president who resigned from office following his efforts, and the efforts of those close to him, to obstruct justice in the wake of Watergate. As the reviews on this site show, Nixon still inspires strong passions, predominantly negative, in many people. And these negative views were undoubtledly earned by Nixon's actions which threatened the rule of law of our political system. I was alive during almost the entirety of Nixon's political career and able to remember most of it, including the 1960 election and Nixon's presidency. I have always found Nixon an enigmatic figure, and in my younger days admired him more than I should have. Elizabeth Drew's short biography, "Richard M. Nixon" (2007) written for the American President's series is unsparing in its criticism of Nixon. Yet Drew shows some sympathy for her subject and some appreciation of his strengths. Her book was not easy to read, with its reminders of our recent American past and with the appeal Nixon at one time had for me; but I found it rewarding as well as troubling. Drew has, on the whole, tried to present a balanced picture of Richard Nixon. Drew portrays a Nixon who is introspsective and a loner -- he is intelligent, highly driven to succeed, and resilient. The Nixon of her portrait is also an extremely ruthless vindictive and unprincipled paranoid, who drinks to excess, is merciless towards his perceived enemies and opponents, and viciously anti-semitic. Drew shows that these aspects of Nixon were inextricably intertwined and operated to doom his presidency. Drew traces Nixon's complex psychological make up to his days as a child in California growing up in a loveless, poor home with few friends. Nixon became a loner and a fighter -- qualities he was able to recognize in himself. The traits that would doom his presidency -- the corruption and the no-holds-barred dirty campaigning, were evident in his first campaign for Congress in 1946, in his Senate campaign of 1950, and in his activities in securing a place on the Republican presidential ticket in 1952. Many of Nixon's advisers from his early political years found a place in his presidency. During his presidency, Nixon had a modestly progressive domestic program, for which Drew may not give him enough credit, including substantial environmental reforms, increased aid for the poor, the end of the draft, an activist approach to the problems of Native Americans, and other matters. Nixon was, Drew points out, the last progressive Republican president, although much of this may have resulted from his relative uninterest in domestic affairs. In foreign affairs, Nixon established detente with the Soviet Union and broached an opening with China -- large accomplishments

Elizabeth Drew combines her skill as a premier journalist with the touch of a careful historian in her Richard M. Nixon. This short biography is fair, thoughtful and probing. It is part of the American President's series. Having read many of these biographies, for me she tops the field in this valuable series. Drew's highest standards of journalism means that she digs into and analyzes the public record. She combines that record with a detailed knowledge of Nixon the person. Drew recognizes Nixon's complexity and she thrives in it. The result is a knowing and fair book that provides readers with fresh insights into Nixon the politician, the man and the President. Drew will anger liberals because she recognizes Nixon's boldness in his opening to China and the importance of negotiating arms control agreements with the then Soviet Union. He could initiate and produce what liberals could not. She recognizes his political abilities with his domestic accomplishments but gets beyond the policy results to show Nixon's patterns of cynicism. That cynicism manifested itself in Vietnam as well, extending the war at the cost of an added 30,000 American lives lost. As Drew reported over 30 years ago on Watergate, she stands as the best digger and interpreter at unraveling that scandalous abuse of power. She captures the fear and tension the American people lived through in that troubled time. The late Arthur Schlesinger, the series editor, rightly wrote that "the President is the central player in the American political order." Drew demonstrates an uncanny ability to undertsand the institution of the Presidency, our other governing institutions and Nixon's creative and destructive interactions with them. In Drew's writing she never falls prey to cynicism or sentimentality. That makes her contribution in writing Richard M. Nixon a lasting one.

Elizabeth Drew does an excellant job of trying to describe the person of Richard Nixon in an objective way. The book brings to life the times of the 50's and 60's and helps us to realize how they shaped Richard Nixon. She describes his flaws, but also how hard he worked to overcome them. Even though we always know how his story will end, it is fascinating to read how we get to the end.

Nick Kotz, journalist and historian Washington D.C. Elizabeth Drew, one of the nation's most perceptive journalists, has written a timely new biography of Richard Nixon. She provides fresh insights about the damage inflicted on the country by an overreaching imperial presidency. Drew's distinguished contribution to the American Presidents Series carries an eloquent and powerful reminder of how America suffers when a President violates basic democratic principles, defies the separation of power between Congress and the White House, and lies to the country about war-and-peace decisions which waste precious lives, dissipate national wealth, and rupture a needed measure of national unity and purpose. It's impossible to read Drew on Nixon today without seeing the unfortunate analogies between the excesses of the Nixon presidency of 1969-74 and those of the current Bush administration. Particularly instructive today is how Nixon mishandled the endgame of extracting America from the tragic quagmire of Vietnam. Nixon inherited a situation in Vietnam not unlike the present conditions we face in Iraq today. Although Nixon did begin drawing down troop levels in Vietnam, he conducted our "withdrawal" in a way that allowed the war to drag on for another six years with the loss of additional thousands of American lives. One clear lesson of Vietnam was that once trapped in a chaotic no-win situation with an unreliable ally, there is little to gain and much to lose by continuing to play a losing hand. Vietnam issues aside, Drew's book has many other virtues. She manages to pack an incredible amount of information and analysis into the 150 pages of her Presidential series book. We see the Nixon of great accomplishments---the openings to China and the Soviet Union--and the progressive legislation he signed, including important early environmental and consumer protection laws. And we realize the necessity of a robust independent Congress with the courage to thwart the never ending ambitions of the White House to expand its powers. The virtue of "divided government" is manifest. Thanks to Democratic control of both houses of Congress throughout the Nixon presidency, President Nixon was restrained to pursue a moderate course, at least in domestic affairs. Throughout the years, Drew has probed the anatomy of power in Washington through her many timely magazine articles and books. This book is another useful contribution from one of the country's most astute reporters. As a student of American politics, I will eagerly look for her next byline.

So you don't think there's anything new to say about Nixon? So did I, but I was wrong..... Elizabeth Drew is just one of the best, smartest reporters around and her clear-eyed and cogent anaylsis will be an eye-opener both for those who are old enough to remember the Nixon presidency, andfor those studying it for the first time. Highly recommended.