The perils of Spiro Page: 1 of 2
2 p. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this article.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
ll i|%3^ rai ii
111
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1968
The Perils o,
"I know Ted Agnew well. We have had long and
tough discussions. We have examined each other's
ideas, debated issues and tested each other. He
has real depth and genuine warmth. Having
watched his performance as Governor of Maryland
for two years. I was deeply impressed by his tre-
mendous brain power, great courage, and unprej-
udiced legal rnvnd. He has vigor, imagination, and
above all he acts. Under pressure, he is one of the
best-poised ana controlled ... he has the attributes
of a statesman of the first rank . . —RICHARD
M. NIXON.
Well, there is no doubt that Ted Agnew has gen-
uine warmth and there should be no question by
now that he acts. But the Governor's performance
over the past month leaves little doubt about any-
thing else, except perhaps his capacity for imag-
ination. Given enough time, Nixon's decision ("I
seriously considered more than a dozen able men")
to name Agnew as his running mate may come
to be regarded as perhaps the most eccentric po-
litical appointment since the Roman emperor
Caligula named his horse a consul. But never mind.
Let's, as Nixon used to tell us back in 1960, look
at the record.
The last time we left Spiro Agnew he was in
trouble. He had described Polish-Americans as
Folacks, and then the day before yesterday there
Were news dispatches reporting his reference to a
correspondent of Japanese descent as "the fat
Jap." He apologized for both. Last week, he was
apologizing for calling the Vice President "soft on
communism"' and "squishy soft" on almost every-
thing else. A few days after that, he was in hot
water when he misunderstood a reporter's ques-
tion and hotly rebuked a suggestion that he and
Nixon were in collusion with George Wallace. "The
word collusion has nasty connotations," the Gov-
ernor said. "It's as bad as 'soft on communism.'"
It turned out that Nixon had made the accusation
of collusion between Humphrey and Wallace. Apol-
ogies all around after that, too.
Later on, there was a confident description of
Nixon's "plan" to end the Vietnam war. He sort of
apologized for saying that, too, indicating that
there was no "plan" but it was just that sort of as
the campaign got, ah, under way he and Mr. Nixon
would be getting into lots of policy matters in-
cluding, of course, the situation in Southeast
Asia . . .
It is by any account a dazzling performance. Ag-
new probably isn't prejudiced, and when he says
that his Polish and Japanese pals don't mind when
he calls them Polacks and Japs that is probably
true. As Agnew points out. he himself used to be
the Greek kid in the neighborhood and is accus-
tomed to being called "that Greek." Anyway, the
Democrats trotted out Ambassador Gronouski to
tut-tut and the Republicans found Rep. Derwinski
to pooh-pooh, and so it would seem to be a stand-
off so far as the Polish thing is concerned.
For the moment, our sympathies are with
Stephen Hess and John Sears, the two very able
men Nixon has dispatched to keep an eye on the
Governor. The specter of Spiro leaping from crag
to crag with the press in hot pursuit is a beguiling
one; it recalls the palmier days of the Romney
campaign. Then, as now, there was a need for
comic relief to leaven the tedium. You can view
Agnew with alarm, or you can point to him with
pride, but for now we prefer to look on with hor-
rified fascination. What will he do next? What will
he say? We said when he was nominated at Miami
that we had serious doubts about his fitness for
high office. Those doubts are being rapidly re-
solved.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This article can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Article.
Washington Post Company. The perils of Spiro, article, September 25, 1968; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth249086/m1/1/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hoston History Research Center at Houston Public Library.