Caught In the Moment? When I was a young lad of about eight, the news was becoming dominated with the story of a President who was on the ropes. A Congressional investigation was heating up, and new revelations continued to shock the political world. President Richard M. Nixon was fighting for his political life, but the daily dose of news coverage seemed to make that fight futile. And then the bombshell. Investigators discovered that Mr. Nixon had made tape recordings of many of his conversations, including some that could possibly shed a little light on the Watergate break-ins. At first, investigators fought for the release of those tapes, which culminated in a Supreme Court decision - which ordered that the tapes be surrendered. Executive Privilege did not extend that far. Some of the tapes were released, and Nixon would eventually resign in disgrace. Now, years later, as the National Archives releases more of those tapes to the public, we have learned that Mr. Nixon and his henchmen were not simply guilty of a cover-up, but instead had perpetuated a long list of abuses - mostly in efforts to smear the President's opponents. Ted Kennedy, expected to be Mr. Nixon's biggest challenge in 1972, was often a topic of discussion. Nixon had already been beaten by one Kennedy, and was not interested in facing another. At least not on an even playing field. He even had Teddy followed, to get details of the unsavory (sometimes pantless) lifestyle of the young Congressman. Nixon never had to play those cards, however, as a drunken Teddy drove any of his future Presidential aspirations off a bridge in Chappaquidick. That did not stop him, though, from going after other powerful Democrats. Larry O'Brien, the party's Chairman, was yet another target - the very victim that would pave the way for nixon's downfall. An earlier break-in at a psychiatrist's office (of whom O'Brien was a patient) would set the tone for the Watergate Hotel break-in. The rest, as they say, is history. As I watched this unfold, turning from eight to nine, I only had one simple question, and nobody seemed to be able to answer it. That is this, Why in the world did he make those tapes?! A good deal of speculation has surrounded that question, as it turned out that I was not the only one asking it. Some seemed to think that Nixon was so obsessed with his place in history, that he was setting up his memoirs. Still others said it was because he was so paranoid of being double-crossed, that he lured people into compromising conversations, so that he would have something "on them" for potential future use. Whatever the reason, their mere existence sank the President. And the content of those tapes stained Nixon's pages in history. And the more they are released, the bigger that stain gets. Obstruction of justice, through the destruction of evidence, is a crime. But, politicians being what they are, were the President smart, those tapes would not exist today. A drunken orgy around a bonfire could have secured Mr. Nixon's place in history, as well as enabled him to serve the remainder of his second term. But that was not to be. Some now say he kept the tapes, because he felt he could release edited versions that would prove his innocence. Well, we all know how that scheme turned out. Now, just over 20 years later, we see history nearly repeating itself. As the Congressional investigation into Democratic fundraising unfolded, much attention was focused on the White House, and the President peddling a piece of his ass to the highest bidders. From coffees to sleepovers, it has been repeatedly revealed that the President will go to just about any level to raise money for his war chest. Again, as the investigation pressed on, it was revealed that there existed video tapes of many of those fundraising events. Those tapes show that Mr. Clinton was indeed using the White House as a sort of campaign hall for many levels of fundraising. Again, the question, Why?! What was the purpose of making the tapes? A souvenir, perhaps? (Here you go, Mr. Deng, thanks for your support, we have some lovely parting gifts.). Then the contributor could go home, gather the wife and children around the tele, and say, See kids, here's daddy greasing the President of the United States. Sure, that's silly, but is there a better reason? It would be almost like a bank robber stealing all the surveillance tapes out of the banks' cameras and KEEPING THEM. And not just keeping them, but storing them in a box clearly marked Bank Robbery Surveillance Tapes, on the coffee table in the living room, and leaving it there in plain site when the investigators came knocking at his door. Stupid, one might say. At any rate, what both instances do show is the arrogance of power of those two Presidents. Not only that they can do no wrong, but that they can do it on tape and still get away with it. Clinton has so far managed to avoid prosecution, but he has further sullied the office of the President. And, as his Republican accusers had hoped, damaged the chances of his Vice President to stay in the White House after 2000. This should be a clear lesson to future Presidents. If you're going to do something unsavory, illegal, or even stupid, take a second, and reach over and hit the pause button...