Why Agnew had to resign first

[jmowreader]

In the latest subject of discussion (Bush and Cheney set to step down over Plame), there has been much talk about the 1974 resignations of Nixon and Agnew.

We all know that Spiro Agnew resigned first, allowing Nixon to appoint Gerald Ford, who then moved into the Oval Office when Nixon finally resigned.

Bush doesn't have Nixon's problem: Carl Bert Albert, the Speaker of the House in 1974, was a Democrat. It should be obvious that Carl Albert would have thrown Nixon in jail and left him there.

Bush has Dennis Hastert to fall back on. Hastert would pardon the entire BFEE, which solves Bush's two major problems: he doesn't want to wind up in the Hague, and he doesn't want to wind up strapped to a gurney in Terre Haute with a needle in each of his arms.

At this point, I don't think Bush gives a shit if he gets reelected; his major concern is not getting put in general population with a cellmate who lost a brother in Iraq.

[MikeG]

1. The problem was that Carl Albert was a serious drunk.

[jmowreader]

2. But he was a Democratic serious drunk.

And I'm positive he could have sobered up long enough to put Nixon's ass in jail where it belonged. What would that have taken, a whole hour?

Albert's job would have been considerably simplified by the "liberal media" we had at the time--at the point where we needed to seriously consider replacing the president, everyone in the country was convinced Richard Nixon was as crooked as a dog's hind leg. Half the country still thinks Bush is a fine fellow.

[King Coal]

3. Sorry, but Agnew resigned because he had to

plead no contest to tax evasion for money from taking bribes.

[I thought so.]

4. Right you are!

Thanks for clearing that up.