You know, it seems like the only time ol' Tricky Dick Nixon's presidency gets mentioned,
it's typically in a pretty negative light.
When's the last time you heard anyone discuss how he helped ease some of the Cold War tensions
between the US and the Soviet Union and China.
What about the two landmark arms control treaties that he signed with the USSR – SALT I and
the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty?
Sure, Watergate was kind of a big deal, but Nixon still accomplished a few notable things
throughout his tenure as Commander and Chief.
Really, we could probably devote an entire video to detailing his more admirable achievements
– unfortunately, this is not going to be that video.
Nope, today we're going to be talking at length about how Nixon was wasted throughout his
entire presidency.
This was a guy that loved his alcohol.
He probably consumed more of the stuff than water.
While it's true that Winston Churchill also drank like a fish, at least he helped lead
the British to victory in the Second World War.
Plus, Churchill was one charismatic fella.
Nixon, on the other hand, wasn't exactly the kind of dude you'd want randomly showing up
at a party.
In retrospect, very few things in history are more unnerving than an inebriated Richard
Nixon.
After all, this was a man who had the nuclear launch codes at his fingertips and was presumably
the leader of the free world.
Whenever he drank, which was pretty much always, he turned into a sloppy, bitter drunk, and
in the end, his love for the bottle proved to be a contributing factor in his undoing.
After the details of his involvement with Watergate came to light and Nixon became the
first – and only – US president to be successfully impeached and convicted, Nixon
hit the booze even harder.
While it's not our desire to run Nixon's name through the mud – especially since he seems
to have already done a pretty good job of doing that himself – we do think it's important
to understand just how dearly his ethanol addiction cost him.
But let's be honest, drunk or sober, Richard Nixon was pretty awful.
It really doesn't even matter what side of the political aisle you're on, it's pretty
obvious that his problems were merely exasperated – not caused by – his alcoholism.
Let's take a look back at some of his most shocking, startling, and downright frightening
drunken moments.
He Tried To Nuke North Korea
We mentioned a moment ago how troubling it is to have an alcoholic in the Oval Office
when they have access to a nuclear arsenal.
While the vast majority of Presidents haven't even dreamed of 'pushing the button', and
in reality, they would merely delegate that duty to someone else if they had to, our old
pal Tricky Dick once came dangerously close to launching a few nukes at North Korea back
in 1969.
Things got dicey after the "hermit kingdom" shot an American spy plane out of the air
while it was flying over the sea of Japan.
Nixon was a bit tipsy at the time when he heard about the incident and reportedly immediately
gave the orders to retaliate with a nuclear strike.
Fortunately, Henry Kissinger saved the day by getting on the phone and instructing everyone
to wait for Nixon to sober up before taking any action.
Once Nixon's liver filtered out all of that cognac, he had a change of heart after 'mulling
it over' as he put it.
Nixon Loved To Put On Film Soundtracks When He Was Smashed
You know, there's nothing wrong with rocking out to the Space Jam soundtrack after you're
a few shots into an all-night bender.
Personally, I'm more of a Big Lebowski soundtrack fan whenever I get my drink on, but that's
just like, you know, my opinion man.
Anyway, for Richard Nixon, whenever he got hammered, he preferred the musical arrangements
featured in obscure documentaries accompanied by the sound of his own voice.
If he was a happy drunk, he would blast the score of his favorite 1950s documentary, Victory
at Sea.
But god-forbid he got sad drunk because then he would simply put on his clandestine private
recordings from around the White House.
So, pretty much, long before the advent of social media, Nixon was already engaging in
what was tantamount to drunkenly scrolling through old Facebook posts and Tweets while
feeling insta-regret and shame.
There's just something so sad and pathetic about picturing Nixon with his headphones
on trying to figure out how it all went wrong.
He Was Too Drunk To Take An Urgent Call During The Arab-Israeli War
On the evening of October 11, 1973, with the US and the USSR seemingly on a collision course
and just a few days into the Arab-Israeli War, Edward Heath, Britain's Prime Minister
at the time, attempted to reach Nixon by phone to discuss the on-going crisis.
Henry Kissinger, who was Nixon's National security advisor, was put in a rather awkward
situation because on the one hand he knew how dire the situation was but the last time
he saw the President he was loaded.
He asked his assistant Brent Scowcroft, who had been the one that told him about the request
if he could tell the PM no.
Scowcroft then suggested that they could tell the folks over at 10 Downing St that the President
was merely indisposed at the moment and that he would call them back.
In the end, Kissinger told Heath that the President would be available in the morning.
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He Was Blackout Drunk For The Yom Kippur War
War is stressful.
And sometimes, when people are stressed out, they like to drink.
While there certainly is nothing wrong with sipping on an ice-cold lager at the end of
a particularly hectic day, when it's time to take care of business, you should probably
be clearheaded.
It's pretty well established that Nixon was buzzed during the outbreak of the Yom Kippur
War, but he took stress drinking to a whole new level when he proceeded to be absolutely
plastered throughout nearly the entirety of the Cold War-era conflict.
Think about that for a second.
the Cold War was a period where it was critical for world leaders to choose their moves with
finesse and soundness of mind.
Any wrong move could have taken the Cold War hot in a heartbeat.
The Soviets were using the conflict in the middle east as an opportunity to pursue their
aims and assert themselves against their Western rivals.
When Communist Party leader Leonid Brezhnev made threats against Americans, Nixon failed
to send him a response because he was 'too tired'.
Kissinger and Secretary of State Alexander Haig constantly had to cover for the President
as he was always either blackout drunk or unconscious.
After the Yom Kippur War was over, Nixon proclaimed to the media that he had been 'indispensable'
throughout the conflict.
More like incapacitated!
He Was A Classic Drunk-Dialer
We all have that one friend who likes to call us up at 2 am drunk as skunk just to tell
us how much they love us.
While there is something somewhat endearing about that kind of drunk dialing, it's also
pretty obnoxious.
Then there are folks that get the bright idea to ring up their exes after the bars close
just to 'check in'.
At that point, drunk dialing is a bit more problematic.
Word to the wise.
Move on.
She's with someone new.
Let her be happy.
Anyway, Nixon was also a textbook drunk dialer, and according to some, he was one of the worst.
Although, at this point, does that even surprise you?
The President enjoyed drinking alone, which is problematic on its own, but when he would
get especially sloshed, he sought out people to annoy – I mean, talk to.
Nixon would frequently ring up his staff members to either chew them out or fire them.
Other times, he would phone his allies just to lament about how hard everything was and
how he was getting the short of the stick.
Most people would simply ignore these conversations, knowing that Nixon wouldn't remember them
the following morning.
The strangest drunk-dialed calls Nixon would make from the Oval Office were to his old
college football coach, whom he would seek guidance and inspiration from.
'The Boys' Brought Him A Stripper To The White House
While Nixon might have done most of his drinking at the White House solo, he also had an assortment
of drinking pals that he would tip back tallboys with from time to time.
Nixon's bibulous buddies would often aid him in getting into debauchery – you know, as
you do when you're friends with the leader of the free world.
On one occasion, Nixon's close mate, banker Bebe Rebozo, and several others showed up
at the White House at 2 am toting a trunk that they declared was meant for the President.
When the Secret Service opened it up, they found a nude stripper clutching a bottle of
champagne.
The Secret Service refused to let the girl in and sent the inebriated band of ruffians
on their way.
He Lost His Marbles And Munched On Dog Biscuits
It was no secret that Nixon loved his dog, Checkers.
He once even gave a long-winded passionate speech about his four-legged friend.
But at the height of the Watergate scandal, when Nixon's alcoholism and depression were
at their worse, he was once spotted by one of his staffers gnawing on a doggy biscuit
with his pet.
While this wasn't the President's only display of odd and concerning behavior around this
time, it definitely was one of the most memorable.
Apparently, whoever saw Nixon mindlessly munching on the Milkbones first backed away slowly
before running off and immediately telling everyone they knew what they had just seen.
History has not been very kind to Richard Nixon, but to be honest, he brought it upon
himself.
While there are still a few die-hard Nixon supporters out there that believe that he
was dealt a bad hand, the majority of Americans are pretty much in agreement that he was one
of the worst presidents in the United States' history.
Do you think that a sitting US President should be drinking on the job?
If not, what do you think should be done if a President is inebriated during a major international
crisis?
Share your thoughts with us down in the comments.
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