morally lacking?" nixon's biographers disagree on how he will be perceived by posterity. according to ambrose, "nixon wanted to be judged by what he accomplished. what he will be remembered for is the nightmare he put the country through in his second term and for his resignation." irwin gellman, who chronicled nixon's congressional career, suggests, "he was remarkable among his congressional peers, a success story in a troubled era, one who steered a sensible anti-communist course against the excess of mccarthy." aitken feels that "nixon, both as a man and as a statesman, has been excessively maligned for his faults and inadequately recognised for his virtues. yet even in a spirit of historical revisionism, no simple verdict is possible." some historians say nixon's southern strategy turned the southern united states into a republican stronghold, while others deem economic factors more important in the change. throughout his career, nixon moved his party away from the control of isolationists, and as a congressman he was a persuasive advocate of containing soviet communism. according to his biographer herbert parmet, "nixon's role was to steer the republican party along a middle course, somewhere between the competitive impulses of the rockefellers, the goldwaters, and the reagans." nixon's stance on domestic affairs has been credited with the passage and enforcement of environmental and regulatory legislation. in a 2011 paper on nixon and the environment, historian paul charles milazzo points to nixon's creation of the united states environmental protection agency (epa), and to his enforcement of legislation such as the 1973 endangered species act, stating that "though unsought and unacknowledged, richard nixon's environmental legacy is secure". nixon himself did not consider the environmental advances he made in office an important part of his legacy; some historians contend that his choices were driven more by political expediency than any strong environmentalism. richard nixon's presidential library and museum located in yorba linda, california nixon saw his policies on vietnam, china, and the soviet union as central to his place in history. nixon's onetime opponent george mcgovern commented in 1983, "president nixon probably had a more practical approach to the two superpowers, china and the soviet union, than any other president since world war ii ... with the exception of his inexcusable continuation of the war in vietnam, nixon really will get high marks in history." political scientist jussi hanhimäki disagrees, saying that nixon's diplomacy was merely a continuation of the cold war policy of containment by diplomatic, rather than military, means. kissinger noted similarities between nixon's opening of china in 1972 and president donald trump's middle east diplomacy. historian christopher andrew concludes that "nixon was a great statesman on the world stage as well as a shabby practitioner of electoral politics in the domestic arena. while the criminal farce of watergate was in the making, nixon's inspirational statesmanship was establishing new working relationships both with communist china and with the soviet union." historian keith w. olson has written that nixon left a legacy of fundamental mistrust of government, rooted in vietnam and watergate. in surveys of historians and political scientists, nixon is generally ranked as a below-average president. during the impeachment of bill clinton in 1998, both sides tried to use nixon and watergate to their advantage: republicans suggested that clinton's misconduct was comparable to nixon's, while democrats contended that nixon's actions had been far more serious than clinton's. another legacy, for a time, was a decrease in the power of the presidency as congress passed restrictive legislation in the wake of watergate. olson suggests that legislation in the aftermath of the september 11 attacks restored the president's power. personality and public image nixon's career was frequently dogged by his persona and the public's perception of it. editorial cartoonists and comedians often exaggerated his appearance and mannerisms, to the point where the line between the human and the caricature became increasingly blurred. he was often portrayed with unshaven jowls, slumped shoulders, and a furrowed, sweaty brow. with elvis presley in december 1970: "the president & the king" nixon had a complex personality, both very secretive and awkward, yet strikingly reflective about himself. he was inclined to distance himself from people and was formal in all aspects, wearing a coat and tie even when home alone. nixon biographer conrad black described him as being "driven" though also "uneasy with himself in some ways". according to black, nixon thought that he was doomed to be traduced, double-crossed, unjustly harassed, misunderstood, underappreciated, and subjected to the trials of job, but that by the application of his mighty will, tenacity, and diligence, he would ultimately prevail. presidents gerald ford, nixon, george h. w. bush, ronald reagan, and jimmy carter in 1991 campaign button nixon sometimes drank alcohol to excess, especially during 1970. he also was prescribed sleeping pills. according to ray price, nixon sometimes took them in together. nixon also took dilantin, recommended by jack dreyfus. that medicine is usually prescribed to treat and prevent seizures, but in nixon's case it was for depression. his periodic overindulgences, especially during stressful times such as during apollo 13, concerned price and others, including then-advisor ehrlichman and long-time valet manolo sanchez. author and former british politician david owen deemed nixon an alcoholic. biographer elizabeth drew summarized nixon as a "smart, talented man, but most peculiar and haunted of presidents". in his account of the nixon presidency, author richard reeves described nixon as "a strange man of uncomfortable shyness, who functioned best alone with his thoughts". nixon's presidency was doomed by his personality, reeves argues: he assumed the worst in people and he brought out the worst in them ... he clung to the idea of being "tough". he thought that was what had brought him to the edge of greatness. but that was what betrayed him. he could not open himself to other men and he could not open himself to greatness. in october 1999, a volume of 1971 white house audio tapes was released which contained multiple statements by nixon deemed derogatory toward jews. in one conversation with h. r. haldeman, nixon said that washington was "full of jews" and that "most jews are disloyal", making exceptions for some of his top aides. he then added, "but, bob, generally speaking, you can't trust the bastards. they turn on you. am i wrong or right?" elsewhere on the 1971 recordings, nixon denies being antisemitic, saying, "if anybody who's been in this chair ever had reason to be antisemitic, i did ... and i'm not, you know what i mean?" nixon believed that putting distance between himself and other people was necessary for him as he advanced in his political career and became president. even bebe rebozo, by some accounts his closest friend, did not call him by his first name. nixon said of this, even with close friends, i don't believe in letting your hair down, confiding this and that and the other thing—saying, "gee, i couldn't sleep ..." i believe you should keep your troubles to yourself. that's just the way i am. some people are different. some people think it's good therapy to sit with a close friend and, you know, just spill your guts ... reveal their inner psyche—whether they were breast-fed or bottle-fed. not me. no way. when nixon was told that most americans felt they did not know him even at the end of his career, he replied, "yeah, it's true. and it's not necessary for them to know." books nixon, richard m. (1960) six crises, doubleday, isbn 978-0-385-00125-0 quotations from the would-be chairman: richard milhous nixon, edited by m. b. schnapper (washington: public affairs press, 1968) nixon, richard m. (1978) rn: the memoirs of richard nixon, simon & schuster, isbn 978-0-671-70741-5 nixon, richard m. (1980) the real war, sidgwick & jackson ltd. isbn 978-0-283-98650-5 nixon, richard m. (1982) leaders, random house isbn 978-0-446-51249-7. nixon, richard m. (1984) real peace, sidgwick & jackson ltd isbn 978-0-283-99076-2 external video part one of booknotes interview with nixon on seize the moment, february 23, 1992 part two of booknotes interview, march 1, 1992 nixon, richard m. (1987) no more vietnams, arbor house publishing isbn 978-0-87795-668-6 nixon, richard m. (1988) 1999: victory without war, simon & schuster isbn 978-0-671-62712-6 nixon, richard m. (1990) in the arena: a memoir of victory, defeat, and renewal, simon & schuster isbn 978-0-671-72318-7. nixon, richard m. (1992) seize the moment: america's challenge in a one-superpower world, simon & schuster isbn 978-0-671-74343-7 nixon, richard m. (1994) beyond peace, random house (1994) isbn 978-0-679-43323-1.