Watergate vs. Whitewater

One of the interesting aspects to the unmasking of Mark Felt as Deep Throat is that well after 30 years a great deal of the public still views Watergate as an important historical event and probably one where there was an abuse of power.

The Watergate investigations led to the resignation of Richard Nixon as president, in part because of fears that he would not survive impeachment procedings. Fast forward approximately 25 years and there was another set of impeachment hearings, except this had little to do with governmental actions by a president, rather personal activities.

So it was with no surprise that barely five years after the hearings that were started by the investigation of Whitewater, a long ago failed real estate venture, few people remembered or cared. In fact, most people were probably just as embarrassed by the impeachment hearings as they were with President Clinton.

In the midst of the hearings, the Democrats uncharacteristically regained seats in Congress, a slap in the face to Republicans, which lead to Newt Gingrich resignation as Majority Leader.

The long term legacy of Whitewater is one that few will talk about. While the investigations were a failure, they may have played enough of a role in making the 2000 election close enough to allow George Bush to steal the presidency.

And in the end that may have been the sole purpose, putting a Republican back in the White House, fairly or not.