Thompson Balanced in Probes

(NEWSER) - A photo of Richard Nixon with Rod Blagojevich has surfaced in what Time Out Chicago describes as an ironic twist of fate and a reminder that politicians should rely on better role models. “In 1980, most twenty-something men probably pined to bump into one of the Beatles or maybe Bo Derek," writes Jake Malooley. "Blago wanted the autograph of our nation’s most notorious politician.” More»

GOP as useless as 7 vowels in Scrabble, needs new letters

(NEWSER) - Just like you get to throw in your tiles when Scrabble gives you seven useless vowels, so too do Republican voters keep picking again—and coming up with the same useless tiles, says Thomas Friedman in the New York Times . That's because the GOP is an out-of-date "captive of conflicting ideological bases," including anti-abortion forces, anti-taxes, anti-immigration, libertarians, and more. What America really needs is a second party in its two-party system—ie, "a coherent Republican opposition" that is able to respond realistically to the true problems facing the United States. "We need a 'Different Kind of Republican' the way Bill Clinton gave us a 'Different Kind of Democrat,'" writes Friedman. And maybe that means a crushing defeat in this election to force a hard reboot. More»

He says he 'practically blew my stack' when he heard

(NEWSER) - The public finally got to hear Richard Nixon’s long-sealed grand jury testimony regarding Watergate today—and what they heard didn’t amount to much. Asked to explain the infamous 18½ missing minutes of tape, Nixon said it was probably just erased by accident. “I practically blew my stack” when I found out how much had been lost, he said. The AP concludes that he “was no help to investigators” in reconstructing the missing conversation. More»

Site of secret meeting gains historical marker

(NEWSER) - The most important parking garage in American history has joined the list of Washington DC-area tourist attractions. A historical marker has been placed in front of the suburban parking garage where Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met the anonymous "Deep Throat," receiving information that brought the Watergate scandal to light and brought down the Nixon presidency. More»

New book also claims Clinton had affair with Susan McDougal

(NEWSER) - The first history of Clinton scandal has been written, and Bill is unlikely to be happy about it. In a new book, Monica Lewinsky is quoted as saying she thinks he lied to a grand jury about their relationship, reports Politico . "There was no leeway (there) on the veracity of his statements because they asked him detailed and specific questions to which he answered untruthfully," she told author Ken Gormley, a law professor. No further specifics on the topic are offered in Politico's preview. More»