Nixon on Agnew

The Nix at the controls. AP file photo.More from the new (to us) Nixon tapes.

Nixon was told by his Deputy Asst. for National Security Affairs, Alexander Haig, that Vice President Spiro Agnew disagreed with Kissinger, then serving as national security advisor, about some diplomatic and political strategy regarding Vietnam. Nixon said he thought Agnew "was on board," but that he "is a god damned fool" who "doesn't know a god damned thing. He bores the hell out of me. Christ ... I'll have to have him come in here."

Nothing else new, really.

In the conversation with Kissinger, filled with long pauses, Nixon expressed fears that Congress would cut off funds for the Vietnam War. Nixon: "We may be faced with that. So what do we do then, Henry?" Kissinger: "Blame the Democrats."

Nothing new at all. This one's good too.

In a later exchange, Nixon says he wants an Italian in his cabinet: "Goddamn it, Chuck, we haven't got an Italian yet. I can't find any," he says on the tape. Colson suggests former ABC News correspondent John Scali for the United Nations Ambassador job. Nixon thinks that's a good idea. Scali is not only Italian, but Nixon believes "he'll take orders.

That is important, Nixon says, because, "That whole staff up there is violently anti-Nixon... and (George H.W.) Bush hasn't done one damn thing about it. He's become part of it." When considering an African American for the post, Nixon says, "We don't owe the blacks a damn thing, anyway." Colson agrees: "Oh, hell no. As a matter of fact, Mr. President, I think it's a bad signal to put a black in the cabinet."

And now there's a person of color in the Oval Office, Chuck. Whaddaya say to that? Maybe if the Republicans could stop running old jackasses for a change. 36 yrs. ago they had the same problems.

In a different taped conversation between Nixon and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on election night 1972, Nixon tells Kissinger that Republicans have lost some Senate races because some incumbents were too old and because one of them, former Senator Jack Miller from Iowa, was a "jackass."

It's quite an improvement that in 2008 they managed to combine the age & jackass elements into one candidate. Although we suppose that Bob Dole qualifies as well.  That Nixon. A political genius.