Wow here we are already at day 7 of my 12 days to Christmas posts. Today the famous person in a song is ‘ole Tricky Dicky himself, Richard Nixon. Todays post features the Manic Street Preachers with “The Love Of Richard Nixon” a number 2 hit for the band in 2004 in the UK. They had four UK number 2 chart hits in total, the others were “A Design For Life” (1996), “Empty Souls” (2005) and “Your Love Alone Is Not Enough” (2007). They did hit the top of the chart twice though, with “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next” in 1998 and “The Masses Against The Classes” in 2000. According to the Manics themselves the song is “a soundtrack to disillusion, hatred, love and never giving up”. It gives a degree of credit to Nixon as it outlines some of the more positive aspects of his Presidency.
Richard Milhous Nixon was born in January 1913 and died in April 1994. He was the 36th US Vice President from 1953 to 1961 and then the 37th US President from 1969 to 1974. He became the only US President so far to resign from office. That was in August 1974 following the fall out from the Watergate scandal. Will Donald Trump become the second US President to resign? Let’s hope so! Up to now only two Presidents have ever been successfully impeached by the House Of Representatives; Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, however both were acquitted by the Senate. The impeachment proceedings against Nixon were never completed because of his resignation. Although Nixon was disgraced by the whole Watergate affair he was later pardoned in September 1974 by Gerald Ford who succeeded him.