The Final Days

By: Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein

Narrated by: Holter Graham

“An extraordinary work of reportage on the epic political story of our time” (Newsweek)—from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning coauthors of All the President’s Men.

The Final Days is the #1 New York Times bestselling, 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 office—one of the gravest crises in presidential history.

Outstanding

This is a wonderful read. It captured the corruption, dishonesty, recklessness and pettiness displayed by Nixon and his aides. But it's also a sad story of a man who fell so far so quickly. Nixon's political career was about projecting strength and fighting impossible fights. The book lays out how hard he pressed his aides for "options" before bowing to the pressure to resign. At the end, he was even bracing himself for jail time.

As unforgivable as Nixon's conduct was, I was struck by what an unlikely sequence of events - the arrest of the watergate conspirators, E. Howard Hunt's push for cash and clemency, Dean's cooperation with investigators and the exposure of the taping system - was needed to bring Nixon down. It's very easy for me to imagine Nixon having skated by if all these pieces hadn't come together in exactly the worst way for him.

The book also has some good lessons for lawyers with clients that are hiding things from them. Nixon wouldn't talk to his own lawyers, and he wouldn't let them listen to the tapes. I'm sure these were "red flags" but then again any lawyer would expect that the rules of the game would be different if your client is the president.

I'd be curious to know what (if any) parts of the book have been refuted by more recent evidence. As with any Woodward/Bernstein project, the book feels very meticulously put together.

I'd also be curious to know if there are scholars who would still argue on separation of powers grounds that Nixon would have been within his rights to burn the tapes, or not produce them. It would be the contrarian view, of course, but its not totally crazy. Or maybe it is crazy. I'm not sure.

It gave me a lot to think about, and I'm grateful to Woodward and Bernstein for the many enjoyable hours of listening.

all the president's men part 2

after decades of postponing this book i can say i'm glad i read it, but not as much fun as all the president's men. i hoped for more salacious details of nixon talking to statues, but was worth it for the obvious comparisons to trump. i hope we are in for another happy ending. i don't see how anyone can read the final days without acknowledging that he had to go.

A book for our time.

I decided to read this book as an escape from what is happening in Washington today. It tells in great detail what went on in the White House during the last two years of the Nixon administration, as the Watergate scandal tightened its grip on the nation and Nixon eventually resigned his office.

But it wasn't really an escape. The parallels between President Richard Nixon and our Current Occupant are amazing: their arrogance, disregard for the rule of law, and certainty that lies could be covered up and not discovered. What I take away is sadness that there was once a time where even a bad president would, in the end, succumb to truth, justice and constitutional requirements. I fear that is no longer the case.

50 Years

Excellent book and great narration. Everyone should revisit this time in our history, as we're faced with a new challenge to our democracy 50 years later.

Watergate and Beyond...

A part of history that we seem to be reliving in 2018. A painful but necessary read/listen for those of us who lived it as well as a new generation living it now...