June 17 signifies is one of the most historic moments in American political history. It was on this day in 1972 that led to the fall of President Nixon and marked a singular triumphant moment for the press and the constitutional right of freedom of press and speech.
On this very day, forty years ago, there was a break in at the headquarters of the Democratic Committee, or the Watergate Scandal as we know it. The scandal ultimately led to the downfall of President Nixon, who resigned from presidency, but maintained that he was not involved any of the incidents. The Pentagon Papers which was handed down to the New York Times by Daniel Ellsberg provided a gripping prelude to the infamous burglary and wiretapping events that followed. The two events have been married and mentioning one usually implies the other. The Watergate scandal proved to be one of the greatest moments for the American press. With Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who were responsible for breaking the story, carrying the torch for the only institution mentioned in the Constitution's Bill of Rights. Forty years later, the Watergate scandal still captures the nation's interest and intrigue.
While it may seem that America as a nation has come a long way from keeping the public in the dark regarding the government's activities, Mercury News looks back on the 40th anniversary of the Watergate Scandal with a bleak conclusion correctly pointing out that "forty years after the Watergate scandal, many legal reforms rolled back," drawing a parallel to former President Bush's Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act 2006 and President Obama's drone strikes in Pakistan.
