The Story of How Richard Nixon Arose from the Ashes to Become President of a Divided and Scarred Nation

Richard Nixon always fascinated me as both a successful and tragic figure. His accomplishments were well known such as bringing troops home from Vietnam, the opening of relations with China and turning Egypt from a Soviet ally to a friend of the United States. Yet, his failed 1960 campaign seemed to have dogged him and led perhaps to his “enemies’ list” paranoia and ultimately Watergate.

In The Greatest Comeback, Pat Buchanan writes about how Richard Nixon, a defeated and deflated candidate that the press wouldn’t have to kick around anymore became President of the United States. The reader gets an insider’s look into the tug of war between left and right for Nixon’s soul. Buchanan states quite clearly his conviction as to where Nixon was.

One of the benefits of reading this book for me was some enlightenment on a time in U.S. history that I have spent too little time studying. That is in spite of the fact that I know that the 60’s were a transformative decade that still impacts us today. In fact, I was startled to see how some things never change in that the struggles, arguments, positions, etc. of that time mirror our time. Today, we are still fighting over the “war on poverty” and “the Great Society” programs as well as civil rights and free speech issues. It is very illuminating to see how key figures argued their positions in an era of such extreme turmoil that was the necessary backdrop to launch Nixon into the presidency.

It was also interesting to read some tidbits of history that I didn’t know from leading political figures of the time. One powerful family had a kinship with Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Something else remarkable was a major network news program that swung the nation’s sympathy decisively toward Nixon at a pivotal time. These alone make the book worthwhile reading.

I received this book at no cost from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for an honest review