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From: arnold@ucsfcgl.UUCP (Ken Arnold%CGL)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.misc,net.rumor
Subject: Re: Jack Stanley's Presidential rating list
Message-ID: <9859@ucsfcgl.ucsfcgl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 21-May-86 22:27:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucsfcgl.9859
Posted: Wed May 21 22:27:43 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 24-May-86 21:32:23 EDT
References: <3040@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Reply-To: arnold@ucsfcgl.UUCP (Ken Arnold%CGL)
Organization: Computer Graphics Laboratory, UCSF
Lines: 41
Xref: watmath net.politics:16296 net.misc:9682 net.rumor:2476

In article <3040@decwrl.DEC.COM> arndt@lymph.DEC writes:
>Richard Nixon I see you at least rate higher than the above booby.  But he
>should be a 10.  His detractors even are saying nice things about him now
>and history will judge him (just behind Ronny) as the greatest president of
>our century.  (If ONLY he had burned the tapes!!!)

Not *this* detractor.  I have nothing nice to say about Nixon.  Well,
let us be more precise.  The two nice things I have to say about him
aren't very nice (sort of damning with faint praise):

	(1) He did start normalization of relations with China
	(2) He didn't actually *try* to impose martial law, although
	    he sho 'nuff *thought* about it.

He extended the war in Vietnam, he used the IRS to harass political
opponents and people who said not-nice things about him, he managed to
nominate three (count, 'em, three) people to the Supreme Court who were
so bad that even the Senate didn't take them (which is usually a rubber
stamp; this was a record for any President), he impounded funds which
Congress had allocated for things he didn't want to do, he violated the
Constitution by waging war against Cambodia and Laos without even the
pretense of Congressional approval, he authorized illegal invasions of
personal privacy by bypassing the courts, he belived that anything the
President did in the name of National Security was ipso facto legal.
On top of all this, there was Watergate, in which he suborned (incited
others to commit) perjury, lied to the American people about what he
knew and when, initiated more illegal wiretaps, invaded more peoples'
personal freedoms, invoked National Security to hide his own
wrongdoing, proved himself completely disloyal to his compatriots, had
the campaigns of the leading Democratic contenders sabotaged so that he
could run against one of the weaker candidates, obstructed justice, and
general acted like a sleazy mobster.  Speaking of which, I forgot to
mention his connections with the Mob.

And remember, folks, these were just as President.  He had a long,
checkered (pun intended) career before then, too, and if you want a few
things I have to say about *that*, just ask.

Me, I rate Nixon a 1.  Or whatever the lowest is.

		Ken Arnold