Do sane people seek the Presidency? At least these days it appears the candidates themselves truly want the job. The American people no longer get faceless hacks like Warren Harding selected by the party behind closed doors.Richard Nixon was sane, but he had serious psychological problems. No lover of humanity, no glad-hander, this man of dark thoughts who you would think to be the last to succeed in politics, improbably made it to the highest office in the land. His character defects were enabl...

I need to begin by pointing out I was totally engrossed in every aspect of Watergate - I watched every minute of the Hearings and read every newspaper article as it all infolded. I also read a number of books in the late 1970’s and 19780’s and watched the movies. I also need to point out that this particular book has been sitting on my shelf or in a box since I originally bought it in 1976. I consider it a newly discovered hidden treasure.I only read it because I had nothing else to read for the...

That bastard should have gone to jail.

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's The Final Days is an absolute gem, the highest level of political reporting. This is a follow up to their brilliant book All the President's Men, and takes up where that book ended. Richard Nixon's White House is under siege, following the revelations of the Watergate scandal and the indictments of many of his top aides. All of the key players in the drama are followed in great detail, from the President and his family, to White House staffers, members of Congre...

What a fascinating read. I was 16 years old when President Nixon resigned. I have vivid memories of my mother glued to the television screen during the Watergate hearings. Now, as an adult, reading this detailed a counting of Nixon's final months in office I am struck by the similarity between Nixon and Trump's personalities. This account bvb thing was riveting to read. The perpetual state of limbo in which Nixon's loyal staffers existed is hard to fathom. The differentiation between the man and...

Seemed like a good time to read this.

In some ways, Final Days is a sequel to Woodward and Bernstein's All The President's Men. But in this book, the focus is on the unraveling and deterioration of the Nixon administration. Writing in a vivid, engaging style, the authors focus on the last year of the Nixon White House, concentrating especially on the last few weeks – with Nixon desperately trying to cling to power when it became crystal clear to almost everyone that his only real choice was between resignation and impeachment. But u...

This is at times a very detailed account of the trial and downfall of President Richard Nixon. Who would have thought that a President needed so many lawyers on his staff? At the beginning the number of individuals involved is enormous. Nevertheless the tale becomes more compelling and tragic as we reach the inevitable culmination of Nixon’s downfall. In the biography I read of Nixon by Conrad Black he observes that Nixon was isolated and did not have enough contacts outside of the White House.

From a historical perspective, one of the ten best books I've ever read. Fascinating.

A lengthy, highly intelligent and nuanced account (overly long, perhaps) of the legal and personal issues surrounding the final collapse and resignation of the Nixon Presidency. Marvelous portraits of the people involved, especially Kissinger, Haig, Buzhardt, St. Clair, Julie and David Eisenhower, and of Nixon himself. Cold-eyed and analytical, but also surprisingly sympathetic in part. Far better than the later Woodward books.

I read this one a while ago. It's sort of a sequel to All the President's Men, chronicling the crackup of the Nixon administration. In many ways, this book is better than its predecessor: it's not focused on just Watergate, and it follows the politicians rather than the reporters (All the President's Men is largely the story of how Woodward and Bernstein did their reporting).Two very striking facts will always stay with me from this book. First: it's eye-opening to read how much all of these peo...

I've got a few thoughts on Woodward and Bernstein's The Final Days, which is both more and less timely than it might seem at first. This isn't really a book about Nixon, though he's a major character and you learn important things about him (see below). Rather, this is a book about the staff, lawyers, and loyalists who (as late 1973 and the summer of 1974) were still credulous enough to believe him that he neither knew about the various crimes related to Watergate nor made any effort to use the

We watched this slightly fuzzy film and some parts were just so similar to today. Give it a go.Full filmDescription: The Final Days is the classic, behind-the-scenes account of Richard Nixon's dramatic last months as president. Moment by moment, Bernstein and Woodward portray the taut, post-Watergate White House as Nixon, his family, his staff, and many members of Congress strained desperately to prevent his inevitable resignation. This brilliant book reveals the ordeal of Nixon's fall from offi...

Good evening.This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. And each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest I now understand I made some of you feel slightly on edge. I understand now that I have a problem with eye contact and passive aggression. For that I am sorry.In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do wha...

Woodward and Bernstein's quasi-sequel to All the President's Men, The Final Days, chronicles the last year of Nixon's presidency from the April 1973 departures of Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman through his own resignation. The authors interview dozens of participants, providing a fast-paced insider account of Nixon's advisers first trying to contain the damage, slowly and reluctantly realizing that they've been dupe, and their belated, frantic efforts pushing their boss to accept the inevitabl...

Although I lived through Watergate I didn't keep up with all the details at the time, but just what I heard on radio news broadcasts. And given our current political situation it felt like history is being echoed this fall. It's an excellent recapitulation of the final days of the Nixon administration and a recounting of the cast of characters involved in the investigation as it wound down to Nixon's resignation in August 2014. It's worth a read just as a reminder of how politics used to work be...

Wow that was a slog. Obviously since it took me over a year to finish it. Not nearly as involving as All the President's Men. So much minutiae to wade through. Picked up in the last third when everything is falling apart for Nixon and the deathwatch for his administration had begun. However it's still a major historical account of a very messy time in the history of the United States. A wrap-up for the previous twelve years which saw the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, the Berlin Wall going u...

Kindle edition. 5 well-deserved stars. This was written by highly respected Washington Post investigative reporters, Woodward and Bernstein and covered the last 6 mos. of Richard Nixon's Presidency. They classified their interviews as "deep cover." Theyfollowed the Watergate break-in which lead the reporters to Nixon's abuse of power, obstruction of justice, money laundering of $ donated to Nixon's re-election & so on. Nixon had a strained Presidency to start, between he& Kissinger, Kissinger an...

took me a ling tome to get through this one. very detailed account.

I started this book right around the New Year and the timing felt very appropriate. I had a lot of trouble deciding whether to give this book 3 stars or 4. Cue the usual complaint about goodreads not letting a reader give out half stars. Given my choice, I would probably give 3 and a half, just based on my actual enjoyment. Don't get me wrong. This book is incredibly well written and the subject matter is certainly fascinating. My copy is from the actual Watergate era and the publishers (and aut...