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skitch41's review against another edition
3.0
Aside from Lincoln, there is no other American president who has been so psychologically analyzed from afar than Richard Nixon. What drove him? Why did he self-destruct the way he did? Could he really have had no idea about what was going on with Watergate and, if so, what does that say about Nixon himself? The accomplished former news editor and biographer attempts to probe into the mind of Richard Nixon in this revealing, yet flawed biography. If you're looking for new revelations about key events in Nixon's career and presidency, this is not the book for that. Big episodes like the Nixon administrations overthrow of the Chile government are not even mentioned. Rather Thomas explore the fact that, from an early age, Nixon was a socially awkward and insecure child and, from there, shows how this basic fact informed many of Nixon's decisions, and fatal mistakes, in his career and presidency. From the beginning, Thomas charts how each triumph and setback built upon his weaknesses. One result of this is that Nixon would often say things or give orders that were contrary to what he was actually thinking or what he believed. Prior to the winning the presidency, Nixon had loyal aides who were able to tell when Nixon was serious and when he wasn't. Also, though their relationship was never publicly intimate, Nixon's wife, Pat, did seem to have a salubrious effect on Nixon himself. But when he became president, he was isolated from his wife by his staff and surrounded by more "yes-men" who didn't know when Nixon was serious and when he was not. What is clear is that Nixon did feel that he had been screwed in the past, particularly in the 1960 presidential election, by Democratic dirty tricks and a hostile media. To counteract that, Nixon wanted his own "dirty tricks" department, which led to the creation of the Plumbers and, ultimately, Watergate. Sadly, according to Thomas' premise, Nixon's social awkwardness and insecurities both created this problem and sustained it when Nixon was unable to open his administration up to the Special Prosecutor or fire loyal aides who were clearly corrupt. At least, that is what I think Thomas' premise is. One of the flaws of this biography is that while Thomas excellently diagnoses and reveals Nixon's weaknesses, he doesn't connect the dots between those weaknesses and Nixon's downfall. It's up to the reader to connect those dots. Another major flaw of this book is to use Nixon's flaws, the hostile media environment, and Democratic dirty tricks to practically white wash Nixon's culpability in Watergate. It doesn't matter if your opponent isn't always noble or the media doesn't like you, we expect our presidents to rise above it and their weaknesses to lead the nation. And no matter how much Nixon wanted to be America's De Gaulle, no matter how many reflective notes he wrote on yellow pads, he couldn't. And that is what led to his downfall. To be fair to Mr. Thomas though, it is hard to criticize his caricature of a hostile media out to get Nixon considering that he himself comes from the media. Thus, while this book is great at revealing the man Richard Nixon and the weaknesses that led him to such self-destructive decisions, but doesn't connect the dots for the reader and, perhaps most discouragingly, uses those weaknesses and the toxic underbelly of politics and the media to basically forgive Nixon for his sins. Thus, read this to learn more about the man and how he ticked, not for a well-balanced assessment pf his presidency.
davidsteinsaltz's review against another edition
4.0
Powerfully makes the case for a tragic Nixon -- a man of enormous intellectual gifts that could have served his country well, well-intentioned but undone by his flawed character. Not entirely convincing -- at times I felt like I was watching a magic show, where my attention was being distracted from the real malfeasance -- but a useful corrective to the one-dimensional reduction of the man to Watergate.
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