Watergate Nixon's Waterloo

Black and white print of Napoleon-ified Nixon above red text over white background. 

This button compares the political defeats of former US President Richard Nixon to those of France's Napoleon Bonaparte. Richard M. Nixon's (1913-1994) second term was a difficult one. During his reelection campaign in 1972, the Nixon Administration was involved in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee's Washington, D. C. headquarters. By 1973, Nixon's staff had been brought to testify before Congress. During the testimonies, it was discovered that Nixon used tape recorders in the Oval Office. Nixon resigned his presidency in 1974, amidst impeachment proceeding in the House of Representatives.

In June 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) lost a military battle to Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852), the First Duke of Wellington, in Belgium at a place named Waterloo. It was a surprising victory. Napoleon seized power of France in 1799, claimed himself emperor in 1804, was exiled in 1812, and escaped only to return to again rule France for a short time before the battle of Waterloo. The defeat so shocked the French, that Napoleon abdicated within days and handed political power to his son.