Analysis Of The Watergate Scandal

1. Our Episcopal honor code reads as follows: “As a member of the Episcopal High School community, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat or steal, and that I will uphold the values of honesty and integrity.” The honor code is somewhat vague, but at the same time is stringent. The last line can be interpreted in several ways. Every individual has a certain ethical system in which they decide if what they are doing is right or wrong. However, there are certain actions that are considered universally immoral. Such actions include lying, cheating, and stealing – all of which are included in the EHS honor code. In the Watergate Scandal, Richard Nixon broke our honor code. By denying all involvement in the scandal, Nixon lied. It is confirmed that Nixon knew about the burglary and paid Watergate defendants to keep quiet about the event. Nixon was directly involved in the intrusion of the Democratic National Headquarters, and if he had just addressed the mistake, it would have cleared his name from the crime. However, he feared for the prosperity of his campaign that he wanted to stop the spread of the scandal completely. The agents of CREEP aimed to start conflict in the Democratic Party, and Nixon did not do anything to stop it. In my mind, this is considered cheating. He had the advantage of having people working in his favor, but they were doing so illegally. This action goes directly against our honor code, and he could have just prevented this by denying all benefits from the criminal acts. Nixon also shattered the values of honesty and integrity that are so highly valued in society. He lied to the public about what evidence he had and what he was hiding. He destroyed evidence of the case and continued a chain of lies that haunted his time as president. 2. Speaking from the view of Thomas Aquinas, I think that Nixon was only acting as a normal human would. Nixon truly wanted nothing but the best for the United States of America, and he selfishly believed (as any human would) that he would be the best and only candidate for the job. This is proof that moral character …show more content…
In my opinion, I believe that Nixon made a terrible choice. What I am looking for in the leader of our country is exactly what is written in our EHS honor code. I value someone who will work hard for the sake of a nation, and not for himself. In Nixon’s case, he was working for himself. If I cannot trust Nixon to admit to something as simple as a few agents raiding the democratic headquarters (and he wasn’t involved), then how could I trust him dealing with international affairs. Nixon did not show an obligation of reparation in trying to settle the scandal. He just simply resigned and moved away from the problem as soon as possible. I prefer to see a president with firm ideals that he/she can advertise and stick to. One of those important ideals is honesty, which Nixon did not have. I want to see a president with a duty of self-improvement. It is in our nature to make mistakes. I want to see a president who strives to learn from his mistakes. Nixon resigned as a result of his mistakes, he did not use all his power to fix it. That also show his lack of a tough mind. When the going gets tough, I want a president who will