A Watergate Perspective
by Mary Pitt
Revelation of the identity of "Deep Throat" after all these years of considering Watergate to be a historical marker
does lead one to a bit of contemplation and comparison with the contemporary political climate. Even at the time when
Richard Nixon was being hounded from office for his "cover-up" of the responsibilities for a simple burglary of the
offices of his political opponents, many of us asked, "So what?" To those of us who were of the Republican persuasion at
the time, it apppeared to be a tempest in a teapot, a retaliation for the fact that Nixon had not only recovered from
the thrashing that he had received at the hands of John F. Kennedy but was elected President of the Unites States and
was a constant reminder that he had not been utterly destroyed by that historic event.
In all honesty, it pales in comparison to the Republican hounding of every facet of the life of Bill Clinton to destroy
him, personally and politically, after he had resoundingly sent George H. W. Bush from the Oval Office into premature
retirement. However, after all the fuss over White Water-gate as well as over Monica and blue-dress-gate, as well as the
questionable issue of "lying under oath", when the dust settled, there was no "there" there. Bill Clinton is still loved
by many and is, perhaps, more popular in the rest of the world than in his own country.
However, in the light of events of the current day, both Watergate and the Clinton "scandals" are merely blips on the
screen of time in comparison. We now have a Pesident who not only didn't lie under oath, he won't even consent to
testify to anything under oath. Even in response to the committee which he had named to investigate the World Trade
Center bombings, he consented to "visit" with the committee while accompanied by Vice President Dick Cheney but declined
to be deposed. The Freedom Of Information Act is cast over every aspect of the administration on the pretext of
"National Security" until it is impossible for Senatorial committees to obtain the information needed to make decisions
on the suitability of Bush appointees to sensitive positions.
The Vice-President continues to collect "deferred compensation" from his former employment in an amount which is far
more than his salary as a government official while "no-bid" contracts are handed off at will to Halliburton and its
subsidiaries . Our government operates in a climate that contains two corporate lobbyists for every member of Congress
and the interests represented by them continue to benefit from tax cuts, tax breaks, pension reductions and wage cuts
for their employees until the working people of the United States are condemned to an existence as mere wage slaves.
And, with the threatened destruction of the Social Security system, (which will happen, by hook or by crook), they will
condemn the "worker ants" to continue to labor until they die, with no respite at the end of life.
Insurance companies and the big pharmacies have joined the ranks of the untouchables as the nation faces a "health
crisis" of mammoth proportions and the answer of the administration is merely to "help" people buy insurance which they
cannot afford with increased taxes which will lead then to even further impoverishment. Every action of governmental
policy is to bleed the working people to increase the wealth of those who are already rich. Of course, the majority
leader of the Senate, Bill Frist is, himself an advocate for the HMO's since his family are among the largest owners of
such facilities in the country. Is it possible that "the power of the people" will be able to overpower such a money
machine?
In light of the fact that this administration has turned our once-peaceful and respected nation into a war machine and
its people into mere "cash cows" for the rich and powerful, the "Watergate Scandal" fades into a nothing more than an
amusing glitch in our history, leading us to query, "Is that what all the flap was about? Sheesh!"
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Mary Pitt is a septuagenarian Kansan who is self-employed and active in the political arena. Her concerns are her
four-generation family and the continuance of the United States as a democracy with a government "of the people, by the
people, and for the people". Comments and criticism may be addressed to mpitt@cox.net .