Like [former President Richard] Nixon says on one of his tapes, if the president does it, it is legal. Think of that. Someone studying Constitution 101 knows that everyone is accountable under the law. For a president to think they have that power, that will do us in.

If you were to ask the same group of people 25 years ago, after Nixon resigned, 'Are you better off?' ... most people would raise their hand because it established the rule of law, ... But I wonder. You can't quite draw a line from (Nixon resigning) to the well-being of everyone. In the case of Greenspan, in terms of people's economic well being, it's a pretty straight line.

The fact of the Watergate cover-up is not nearly as interesting as the step into making the cover-up. And when you understand the step, you understand that Richard Nixon lied. That he was a criminal.

Nixon's attempts to order subversion of various departments was bound to come out in some form.

The failure of the system to deal quickly was attributable to Nixon's lying, stonewalling and refusal to come clean. So it took 26 months for the final truth to be known.

Nixon's grand mistake was his failure to understand that Americans are forgiving, and if he had admitted error early and apologized to the country, he would have escaped.