The information I'm gleaning from Anthony Summer's new book, Arrogance of Power: the Secret Life of Richard Nixon is not only mind boggling, it is utterly appalling. For the next several days I will make a note of those items that are the most revealing of Richard Nixon's sickness. He was mentally ill for most of his life, and after reading some of Summer's book, I think I now have an understanding of him that I didn't have before.

Nixon had once spoken of the possible need to kill a troublesome foreign businessman. In retirement he denied having ever been involved in plots to murder foreign leaders. Yet violence and allegations of violence from the beating of hecklers and demonstrators to assassination rumors permeated Nixon's career. His first vice president, Spiro Agnew, claimed he resigned,rather than stay on to fight corruption charges,because of pressure by Nixon and what he interpreted as physical threats. "I feared for my life," Agnew recalled and although he did attend the funeral, never spoke to Nixon again.

There is mention of his slapping of a campaign worker who had criticized him, the time he sat kicking the back of a car seat like a child until an aide walked away in disgust. He ordered acts of war that aides had chosen to ignore, even slept through a crisis meeting when a heightened stage of nuclear alert was ordered in his name. A message had gone out to the military that instructions from the White House were to be ignored unless cleared by a senior member of the cabinet. In private and before he was elected President, Nixon's psychologist, Hutschnecker, expressed concern at the possibility that Nixon should hold high office.

Reading this book is not only bringing back memories of that time when Nixon was in office but is also making me relive memories of my early childhood when Nixon figured so prominently in my parent's political consciousness and my early budding awareness of the political landscape. My parents despised Nixon with a hatred that was unique, an intense hatred not focused on anyone else in public life. My parents were not haters by nature and I never saw either of them show hate for any of our family members or acquaintances. My mother said to me, often enough to be almost a mantra, 'Nixon is no damn good,' or 'Nixon is a no good s.o.b.' She couldn't say son-of-a-bitch because that was a swear word in those days and my father, who was a bit prudish, didn't like it. But my father retold me the stories numerous times of Nixon and Jerry Voorhis(the first candidate he ran against in his political career) and Helen Gahagan Douglas(the wife of actor Melvin Douglas, and candidate for Senate who he labeled as a Communist in order to win the election ). Now I know their complete stories after reading this book. From the beginning, my parents were right about Nixon. He was indeed, no damn good.