Nixon by Mistake? - an art work by T Newfields (c. 1972, digitally redone in 2007)
Sam: Nixon was a strangely tragic character . . .
Kris: Why do you say that?
Sam: He had so many contradictions without realizing it.
Tim: He was no dummy – I think he realized a lot more than the public will ever know.
Sam: Yet there was a social ineptness about him that seemed tragic.
Tim: Well, many of America's leaders are from humble origins . . . . Just like Reagan, Nixon was well-indoctrinated into American mythology.
Terri: Perhaps. Nixon seemed to epitomize the contradictions in inherent in many American presidents. I would describe him as one-third gangster, one-third idealist, and two-thirds common dude.
Kris: (laughing) The math is nonsense: how can you have over 100%?
Terri: I know it doesn't add up . . . yet when you think about it, how much human ambition does?