In the interest of history, and of the truth, we present this handy chart comparing the Watergate and Whitewater investigations:
From Mediamatters.org.
| | Nixon | Clinton |
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Offenses
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Presiding over most corrupt administration in history; bugging opponents' offices; breaking into opposition headquarters; breaking into psychiatrist's office; forgery; using the IRS and the Justice Department to harass political opponents and reporters, and much more.
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Lying about inappropriate personal relationship; losing $48,000 in land deal.
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Result
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Nixon resigned in disgrace, accepted a blanket pardon "for all offenses against the United States" he committed while president.
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Countless investigations of everything from a 15-year-old land deal to the suicide of a White House employee to allegations of drug running to White House personnel decisions to campaign fund-raising to Arlington Cemetery burial procedures revealed no criminal wrongdoing by Clintons.
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Cooperation with investigations
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Approved plan to illegally use CIA to thwart FBI investigation of Democratic National Committee break-in; attorney general and deputy attorney general resigned after being ordered by Nixon to fire special prosecutor.
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Ordered Justice Department to appoint special prosecutor to avoid appearance of conflict of interest; never fired or tried to fire special prosecutors or independent counsels.
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Dealings with media
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Investigated, wiretapped, and audited journalists; created "enemies list" that included more than 50 reporters; Nixon allegedly ordered an aide to falsely smear syndicated columnist Jack Anderson as a homosexual; White House plotted ways to poison Anderson.
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Produced -- but didn't distribute -- a critique of Whitewater coverage by Washington Post reporter Susan Schmidt
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Approach to idealogical opponents
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Contemplated firebombing Brookings Institution. (In fairness to Nixon, this plan was never actually carried out.)
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Once allegedly made Newt Gingrich sit at the back of a plane; wife warned of "vast right-wing conspiracy."
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Top aides who went to jail
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Campaign manager/Attorney General John Mitchell convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury for his role in Watergate break-in and cover-up; chief of staff H.R. "Bob" Haldeman and domestic affairs adviser John Ehrlichman convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice; White House counsel John W. Dean III convicted of obstruction of justice; special counsel Charles W. Colson pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.
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Associate attorney general Webster Hubbell, whose conviction for stealing money from Rose Law Firm colleagues, including Hillary Clinton, related to crimes he committed long before working in the Clinton administration.
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| Richard Gephardt | Served his country in uniform, 1965-71 |
David Bonior | Served his country in uniform, 1968-72 |
| Tom Daschle | Served his country in uniform, 1969-72 |
Albert Gore | Served his country in uniform, 1969-71 |
| Newt Gingrich | avoided the draft, did not serve. |
Dick Armey | avoided the draft, did not serve. |
| Tom Delay | avoided the draft, did not serve. |
Trent Lott | avoided the draft, did not serve. |
| Elliott Abrams | Sought deferment for bad back. |
Richard Armey | Sought college deferment, too smart to die. |
| Bill Bennett | Sought graduate school deferment, too smart to die. |
Pat Buchanan | Sought deferment for bad knee. |
| George W. Bush |
Turned down as too dumb for graduate school or law school so daddy had to get him into the Reserves. He MAY have learned to fly jets, if he did, the
type of jet he says he trained in was no longer inservice in Viet Nam at that time. He then proves how brave a patriot he is by going AWOL from the
Reserves for over a year (which means he deserted). It is important to note that George Bush Sr. likes to tell how he is a WWII hero (you only find this
version in publications funded by Bush backers). He says he bailed out on a mission because his plane was hit, on fire and going down. Unfortunately
for Lieutenant Bush, the official day log entry of the Tail-gunner in the plane ahead of George Sr. wrote that he saw only a puff of smoke, no flame,
no loss of altitude or control and only one parachute -- that of the pilot ejecting immediately. |
| Dick Cheney | Sought school deferments five times, too smart to die, wanted to live so he could make millions off of the taxpayers without ever working. |
| Jack Kemp |
Sought medical deferment while still playing in the NFL. |
| Rush Limbaugh |
Sought deferment for ingrown hair follicle on his butt (bizarre but true). |
| Trent Lott |
Sought deferment, didn't want to muss his hair. |
| P.J. O'Rourke |
Sought deferment, too stoned. |
| Dan Quayle |
Family got him into the Reserves (too dumb for grad school but was not a deserter like the Bush boy). |
| Ron Reagan |
Enlisted but never left U.S. (although he later claimed to have liberated the concentration camps). |
| Pat Robertson |
Father pulled him out of Korea as soon as the shooting began (went home, heard the call of God and proceeded to knock-up his girl friend... alleluia). |
| Kenneth Starr |
Sought deferment for psoriasis (can't pull a trigger if your trigger finger is scratching other itches). |
| John Wayne |
Sought deferment to further acting career (never served, never left country). |
| George Will |
Sought deferment, too much of a wussy, wanted to stay home watch baseball and use stolen Presidential documents to brief the actor, Ronald Reagan. |
| John Ashcroft |
Sought deferments. Daddy helped out. |