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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1973)
Viewpoint t Your weakness is credibility Packwood tells Nixon to N reveal everything By SEN BOB PACKWOOD Note: The following are remarks made by Sen. Bob Packwood to President Nixon at the White House on Nov. 15. Packwood re-wrote his message from an outline which he used to address the President MR PRESIDENT, when you invited us to this meeting, you requested openness and frankness. After receiving the invitation. I spent several hours thinking about what to say and how to say it. It shouldn't take me mere than six or seven minutes All of us. Mr President, whether were in politics or not. have weaknesses For some, it's drinking For others, it's gambling For still others, it's women. None of these weaknesses apply to you. If the news media w ere to try to convince the public that these were character defects of yours, it would not wash because your reputation for integrity and moderation in these areas is above reproach Your weakness is credibility. This has always been your short suit with the news media and with the general public For a brief period of time in the fall of 1950.1 was a student at Cal Tech when you were running against Helen Gahagar. Douglas Even as a young student then. I recall the problems of your credibility raised by that cam paign The Watergate Affair has raised for you two distinct and separate problems One is with Congress and the other is with the public. THE PROBLEM WITH the Congress is two-fold First. Congress feels no particular empathy for your Ad ministration because for too long Congress has felt left out in the cold Never consulted, never heard, never heeded In addition to the irritations caused by the four and a half years of indifference to Congress, you now have an additional problem with that branch of government caused by the Cox firing Most members of Congress, rightly or wrongly, perceived that you gave your word that Cox would not be fired. In their minds when you fired Cox. you broke your promise It's one thing to lie to Congress Congress has come to expect that many people who testify before it lie We can handle that W e are a good enough judge of character to separate truth from fiction We may not appreciate liars, but we can recognize them It's an entirely different matter, however, when one person gives his word to another That is a bond which those of us in politics revere highly Those who breach that bond suffer an incalculable loss of credibility Congress believes you breached your word in the firing of Cox. Your problem with the public is different from that of Congress The problem with the public is that they no longer believe you They no longer trust tbe integrity of this Administration. In your televised energy message, you singled out Oregon for accolades because of our success in conserving energy Our Governor. Tom McCall, has been able to get his fellow Oregonians to follow his lead in energy conservation because they believe in him and trust him This Administration lacks that kind of trust A RESPONSE TO a previous question by Bob Stafford about resignation revealed what I fear is the thinking of this Administration You cited several reasons why you would not resign, and you concluded by adding that you certainly would not resign when you had not been “convicted of a crime.” For too long this Administration has given the public the impression that its standard of conduct was not that it must be above suspicion but that it must merely be above criminal guilt. Mr President, that is not an adequate standard of conduct for those who have been accorded the privilege of govern mg this country If. by chance. Former Secretary of Commerce Stans and Former Attorney General Mitchell are acquitted of the crimes for which they have been in dicted. there will be great trumpeting from this Administration and from many Republicans around this nation that the court system has vindicated them and revived their credibility and inferentially. yours Mr President, if Stans and Mitchell are acquitted, it simply means there was not presented evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to ccmvince reasonable jurors of their criminal guilt. It does not mean they were innocent of wrong-doing in helping govern this nation Now. Mr President, for what it's worth, let me give you my advice as to how the breaches with Congress and the public might be repaired WITH CONGRESS, it will be easier Invite us to the White House for con versation. Hopefully you will follow our advice, but if you don't, you will have at least heard it. and that is really all we ask Most of us will succumb to at tention The repair of relations with the public will be more difficult. It depends on what you are willing to reveal In my mind, it must be EVERYTHING—the tapes. confidential notes— EVERYTHING. And you must be willing to let the chips fall where they may. It is imperative that the public believe you have revealed everything In order to achieve this, it is absolutely necessary that nothing be subsequently uncovered that you neglected to reveal. There can’t be a missing tape ac cidentally disposed of by a janitor There can t be a memo on ITT un covered by an inquiring reporter You must make sure there is nothing within your power to find that is kept secret. If you are willing to reveal ALL. do it and iet it settle for about two weeks. Give everyone in this country who is in terested a chance to digest the in formation Then have a free-wheeling, open-ended, no time limit press con ference Not with sixty or seventy members of the news media, but just six or seven, and, at a minimun, it must include Dan Rather and Daniel Schorr of CBS and John Apple of the New York Times. Answer every question they put forth Let one reporter pursue you for 15 or 20 minute if he w ishes I recommend this first because you are good at an adversary proceeding, and second, because the public must be convinced that you have opened yourself up to your harshest critics If you humbly best your adversaries in this press conference, you may stand a chance of restoring vour credibility MR PRESIDENT. YOU ONCE had the capacity to lead this country People would follow you, sometimes begrudgingly, but more often, willingly, because you were a leader Watergate has destroyed your ability to inspire and lead this country. You still have the capacity to govern this country- because we have a separate Executive branch. If we were a parliamentary government even your capacity to govern would have been stripped from you by your own party members Congress is not going to impeach you You have apparently committed no impeachable offense You are not going to resign. You’re therefore left to your own devices to restore your own credibility. W’atergate is perceived by the people of this country as your personal problem We in Congress who would like to help you can offer advice, but you, and only you. can take the steps necessary to re establish your leadership in this country J -Satire Spiro T. and the M.P. s' is smash LP hit By DAVE BR AFF Perhaps some of you are wondering what ever happened to the man who put vice back into the Vice Presidency Well, Spiro, encouraged by his crooning crony. Frank Sinatra, has recorded an LP' And over looking its artistic deficiencies as well as the obvious commercialism of its pre-Christmas release. I guess Agnew didn't get so much graft money after all) this debut album “Spiro T and the MP.s" misjudged politicians»is a promising and very legal contribution to American music Feeling the obscurity and em barrassment of being the only deposed Vice President. Agnew has taken to the occupation which always seemed most suitable for him — using his mouth. Now. in lieu of blasting bombastic batteries of barbs at the media, liberals and assorted additional adversaries. Spiro has shifted his vocal energy to another celebrated stage — Rock and Roll Yes. Spiro, with his first offering, appears to be destined for superstardom This album is already certified gold and a fierce battle is presently raging between Dick Clark and Don Kirshner over late-night TV ap pearances The album while not reaching any heretofore unattainable aesthetic heights. is a conscientious attempt to regain popular acclaim Agnew has dramatically juxtaposed his audience appeal and has leaped head-first into the “youth market. '’ “Spiro T.” contains no original material but is a collection of some of the most appreciated songs from the best con temporary artists From the outset it is evident that Agnew is acutely aware erf what has happened to him Nevertheless be defiantly proclaims that he has maintained his stature The opening cut, “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," aptly demonstrates that Agnew is by no means lethargic or limp His earthy, animalistic handling of this vintage hit leaves no doubt that he has taken up the burden of the rock singer Though the M_P.s (Spiro s band is comprised of veteran session men. there are a few guest stars featured And such is the case on the second track John Mitchell is at the keyboards for a nostalgic version of Hang 'em High." Mitchell lovingly handles the organ with the same fervor that he employed while saving us from subversives and permissiveness during the halcyon years of 1968 through 72. But it’s back to rock and roll with a vibrant “Livin' in the USA.” The tune, however, is peculiarly patriotic. Obviously someone lost something in the adaptation Still, Agnew is impressive, fiercely spit 'mg out the poignant lyrics Indeed he sells the song so well that at the end you really want to give him a cheeseburger The first side closes with a tell-it-like-it-is con fession. “It Ain’t Easy'' is a frank ad mission that all has not been rosy for Agnew It is however barely passable, the nadir of the album, and nowhere near as good as David Bowie's version. But the existential theme of suffering carries over to side two which starts with an updated “I got Plenty o' Nothing.'' This song’s sincerity far surpasses that of his “effete, impudent snobs-' speech or even his early castigations of the press He sings with such emotion, such touching passion, that you just picture him and his Bess languishing on Tin Pan Alley. If he could have heard this. I'm certain that Gershwin would have voted Republican Next is an astonishing rendition of “Whipping Post ” You can actually feel the orment of Agnew reliving his recent anguish Through his singing he recreates his capitulation to those unmerciful media zealots and the deception of his friends '-umed-inquisitors Henry Peterson. Elliot Richardson, and ultimately Nixon himself. As Agnew laments, “Sometimes I feel! sometimes I feel...” you can just imagine him receiving the death knell over the phone from General Haig. “The President would like to see you.” There can be no question that Spiro has indeed paid his dues. Unfortunately it seems he collected some as well. But enough moral judgement. Again the tone shifts and we are presented with a caustic jab at the press Agnew completely re interprets Dylan's ‘The Times are a Changin’ ” A revisionist chef d'oeuvre. The album concludes on a note of despair; an unbelievably sensitive, almost clairvoyant “Folsom Prison Blues.” The vocals are enhanced by a supporting cast of ex-dignitaries, in cluding Maurice Stans. John Ehrlichman, and H R “Harry" Haldeman They all seem to share Agnew s visionary melancholy Spiro already is working on a second release, tentatively titled “Ted Production has been stepped up because of the cancellation of a European tour — his probation officer refused him permission to leave the country. Agnew was incensed, calling the decision “sheepish " But the Justice Department evidently felt that Agnew would go on the lam Well, at least we have this album. Hardly a classic, “Spiro T and the M.P.s” is indeed a worthwhile record It should sell well also I’m convinced many radicals and activists will buy the album out of a trained response; the profits go to a defense fund Dave Braff Braff (a history major; is a self admitted geek who wants only to be loved
