This Hour, 33 Years Ago...

[Hissyspit]

A U.S. president left office before the end of his term, disgraced by his unethical and undemocratic behavior.



Nixon leaving the White House shortly before his resignation became effective, August 9, 1974. In a nationally televised address on the evening of August 8, 1974, he announced he would resign, effective at Noon Eastern Time on Friday, August 9, 1974. Though Nixon's resignation obviated the pending impeachment, criminal prosecution was still a possibility. The helicopter took him from the White House to Andrews Air Force base in Maryland. While in the air, Nixon would later write that he remembered thinking "As the helicopter moved on to Andrews, I found myself thinking not of the past, but of the future. What could I do now?...". At Andrews base, he boarded Air Force One to El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in California and then to his new home in San Clemente.<14> Oliver F. Atkins, August 9, 1974. Keywords: Gerald Ford Credit: Nixon Presidential Materials Project.

[H2O Man]

1. Good call!!!!!!

Nominated!

[Hissyspit]

7. I cannot - for the life of me - understand, even as I do understand, how this president

may not face a moment of shame, accountability, and Constitutional redress as dramatic as the one documented in that photograph.

[H2O Man]

17. That is

an amazing photograph. It's strange: after watching the press conference today, I was thinking how Nixon at his very worst was way better than this current clown. I hadn't even thought about what day it was .... thanks much for the reminder!

[Hissyspit]

21. It's true. But, in a sense, Bush/Cheney are a continuation of the Nixon corruption.

Cheney, Rove, the ratfuckers... People let their guard down, Americans forgot, and the neo-conartists took advantage of it.

[OwnedByFerrets]

25. I really didnt know until someone brought it up today

but Nixon was quite the liberal.....especially by todays standards. I need to go back and research his history some more.

[DemoTex]

27. It is a breathtaking photograph! Who was the photographer?

I have never seen that photo before. Has anyone here? If not .. why? The framing of the scene from the helicopter door reminds me of Larry Burroughs' April 1965 Life Magazine series from Vietnam, "One Ride with Yankee Papa 13."

[Hissyspit]

32. Oliver Atkins. It's in the photo credit. I think he worked for the White House

if I'm not mistaken, or some federal agency.

[SammyWinstonJack]

31. He is protected, insulated. I don't' understand and yet I do. It is sickening.

[Turbineguy]

2. I was

a lowly midshipman on a tanker then. The Chief Mate announced at lunch that it was the worst day of his life.

[TwilightGardener]

3. And Barbara Bush cried...

[eleny]

4. Wow, I've never seen this photo before

K&R

[Hissyspit]

8. I decided to go with it, instead of the famous wave from the helicopter, ...

because of the poingnancy of the first wives, and because the White House if visible in it.

[eleny]

11. I even wondered if it was a photoshop image

I never would have thought the copter was straight out from the WH like that. I always thought there was a pad off to the side somewhere. But the property is limited in space from what I remember visiting back in high school.

Thanks for choosing this one! :thumbsup:

[speedoo]

19. Excellent choice.

It's a photo that is so much better than that tired old Nixon defiantly waving nonsense that says nothing about the justice, gravity and shame of the moment.

Damn, I remember how great I felt back then. There was justice, after all. I wish I could feel some of that today.

Thanks.

(on edit.... when I saw your subject line, I did a quick calculation and knew what you were referring to. I was close, anyway.)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Proud to give the 5th rec n/t

[Bjornsdotter]

6. I was watching

..All my Children at the time and I was pissed that they interrupted. Okay, I was glad Nixon was gone but to interrupt....

Cheers

[Octafish]

9. The Swearing Out of Richard Nixon

Firesign Theatre summed up the moment...

The Swearing Out of Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon, you son of a bitch.
Get the hell out of here.
Fuck off.

May we soon see a re-run.

[eleny]

13. A very perfect template!

[Virginian]

28. Didn't they have Billy Graham do the swearing out ceremony? n/t

[0007]

10. Sure be nice if history repeated itself! But I think they'd have to take

junior away in a straitjacket and have an ambulance for Cheney.

[glitch]

18. They'll leave, scurrying, through the tunnels, directly to their bunkers. nt

[IndyOp]

12. He could think of the future because he had already been guaranteed that

there would never be criminal consequences of his law-breaking. Go, just go - before the GOP is destroyed forever.

Someone in the Democratic leadership agreed not to push for criminal prosecution if he would just leave office...

Bad, bad, bad call that set us up for every freakin' Republican pResident since then.

[kineneb]

14. My 16th birthday present!

yup- Aug. 9, 1974 was my 16th birthday. I was so happy that Tricky Dicky was leaving. I had watched the entire Watergate hearings, too.

ed for fumble fingers

[wicket]

22. Happy birthday!!!!

:hi:

[kineneb]

23. thanks! nt

[Hissyspit]

24. I was about to turn 12.

September 25. I always hated having a birthday right at the beginning of the school year.

[BlueStater]

29. September 25 is my birthday too

But I don't remember Nixon resiging because it happened over a decade before I was born. I sure wish I felt the same sense of justice today that you guys felt back then.

[Hissyspit]

33. Hi, BlueStater. There was a sense of justice, but...

more it was a sense of relief, I think, and disappointment that things had come to that in America.

[SteppingRazor]

15. And 12 years ago...

Jerry Garcia died. What a weird day.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. One of the happiest moments of my life!!

And I look forward to the day this monster occupying the WH today does the same thing.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

20. Me too, proud2Blib. n/t

[Hissyspit]

26. .

[EFerrari]

30. My mom threw a block party.

:party: