"When you hear in the tape recordings Nixon's own voice saying, We have to stonewall, We have to lie to the Grand Jury, We have to pay burglars a million dollars, it's all too clear the horror of what went on"

This quote by Bob Woodward is referring to the Watergate scandal of the 1970s, in which President Richard Nixon was implicated of buying a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Woodward's quote is emphasizing the gravity of the situation, as it is clear from the tape recordings that Nixon was aware of and complicit in the cover-up. The quote recommends that Nixon was willing to go to severe lengths to safeguard himself and his administration, including lying to the Grand Jury and settling robbers. This quote functions as a pointer of the power of the presidency and the lengths to which some are willing to go to safeguard it. It also functions as a warning to future generations of the consequences of dishonest habits and the significance of promoting the law.