Richard Nixons new GOP fans cant brush off his stained legacy

Richard Nixon, who never stopped trying to rehabilitate his reputation, would be delighted to know his defenders have had some posthumous success in his behalf.The Justice Department is looking into whether the special prosecutor who investigated Nixon for Watergate was guilty of misconduct, The Wall Street Journal reported last week — part of a Nixon revival among elements of the New Right.For populists, RN has appeal as an exemplar of a right-of-center politics not beholden to conservative policy commitments; as a counter-cultural rebuke to the left’s radicalism; as a fierce, not to say scruple-less, partisan fighter; and as a hate-figure for the Northeastern establishment and liberal press.There’s no doubt that Nixon deserves better than the simplistic dismissal of him based on his ignominious exit from the White House.He was a canny and sophisticated political survivor who loomed incredibly large on the mid-20th century national scene.In electoral terms, he won more than he lost, including a massive re-election victory in 1972 based on the Silent Majority, despite his lack of charisma or charm.He was deeply knowledgeable about foreign affairs and crafted a supple foreign policy with Henry Kissinger, his immensely talented secretary of state.If you could choose one high-level politician from the last 60 years to help you figure out how to think and maneuver your way out of a political fix, Nixon just might be your guy.All that said, his record is checkered at best — especially from a conservative perspective.His economic stewardship was a disaster: He inherited a turbulent situation, with the breakdown of the Bretton-Woods system and elevated inflation, but he bears his share of blame for the stagflation of the 1970s.Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email.

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