WASHINGTON: During the past three decades Americans have had their share of presidential scandals, from Bill Clinton's sexual escapades to the Ronald Reagan White House's illegal sale of arms to Iran.
But nothing looms larger than the Watergate break-in that led to the first and only resignation of a US president. It was August 9, 1974 - 30 years ago Monday - when Richard Nixon said goodbye to his staff before boarding a helicopter en route to his home state of California.
On the steps of the aircraft, he turned and flung both arms in the air in one of the most enduring images in presidential history, along with Clinton's finger waving denial of having had "sexual relations".
The unadorned Watergate complex still rests along the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, displaying few memories of the break-in at the 1972 Democratic campaign headquarters by Nixon's "dirty tricks" team.
Most historians continue to believe Nixon knew nothing in advance of the "second-rate" burglary by the White House's "plumbers" unit on June 17, 1972, but was guilty of orchestrating the cover up and using his power as the president to do so.
Nixon was able to contain the fallout from the scandal for two years despite the relentless pursuit of the story by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
But when the Supreme Court forced him to release tapes of Oval Office conversations and it became clear Congress would vote to impeach, Nixon tendered a letter of resignation to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Thirty years after his resignation and 10 years since his death at the age of 81, Nixon's legacy remains one of not only historical debate, but also set the tone and legal precedent that would lay the groundwork for future presidential scandals and ensuing investigations.
Executive privilege, which Nixon used to keep communications between him and his advisors private despite a criminal probe, was invoked by Reagan during the Iran-Contra scandal, as well as Clinton in connection to the Monica Lewinsky affair.
The Watergate break-in also established the independent prosecutor, which would be used to investigate Reagan and Clinton. But to an even larger degree, the Watergate scandal ushered in an era of cynicism in American society.
The presidency and those who held it were no longer celebrated as they once were. Voter turnout declined, as did the nation's interest in politics. Nixon had broken the rules of democracy before handing the country over to Gerald Ford. -DPA
