The day Nixon resigned, The Boston Globe placed a replica of the Preamble to the Constitution (“We the people…”) under the newspaper’s masthead. The implicit notion: The system works.

It's hard not to begin this talk with one of the most expressive of human sounds: a long, happy sigh, followed by two cheers for Gerald Ford. Not three. Not just yet. All incoming presidents get ...

Mr. Werth is the author of “31 Days: The Crisis That Gave Us the Government We Have Today,” about the days following Richard Nixon’s resignation as president. Presidents have come in for ...