August 17, 2007

He's Tanned, He's Rested ... He's a Joke

To the Editor:

Michael Nelson's discussion of Richard Nixon's rehabilitation campaign seems to have ignored the former president's place in popular culture ("Nixon's Final Campaign," The Chronicle Review, July 20). For kids too young to remember him, he has become the Malvolio of American history, a comic villain both pretentious and ineffectual. Perhaps the best example of this is Dan Hedaya's performance in Dick. ... Comedians still kick him around: Any mention of Nixon on late-night