Checkers Speech
Re James Pinkerton’s Aug. 19 Column Right: Richard Nixon’s Checkers speech was not only the “granddaddy of all contrition speeches” in the sense that it was the most effective, but also in that it was the first of its kind. Moreover, the speech helped to establish the current culture of “tabloid politics.”
In this speech, Nixon discussed details of his personal life that previously were considered even a politician’s private business and thus laid the groundwork for Kenneth Starr’s current investigation into Bill Clinton’s private dealings, both financial (Whitewater) and sexual (the current morass).
DAVID SNYDER
Los Alamitos
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