This episode of "American Experience" begins with the day of November 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated allowing Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson to take his place that same day. It then goes through the years before that of various VPs taking the presidency either because of previous assassinations or because of one being replaced because of a fatal illness one month after taking office as in the case of William Henry Harrison being replaced by John Tyler. At that time, there was no plan in place of replacing the VP during that period leaving it vacant until the next election. That changed during Johnson's time when the 25th amendment was ratified. So then this episode goes into the Richard Nixon administration and not only covers Watergate but also his VP Spiro Agnew's own scandal concerning bribes. Rachel Maddow, who wrote "Bag Man" about Agnew, expertly covers this period quite succinctly. So under the 25th Amendment, after Agnew resigned Nixon got to pick Michigan congressman Gerald R. Ford to be his next VP. Ford then became president after Nixon's resignation and got to then pick Nelson D. Rockefeller to be his VP. Ford is still the only VP and president to not ever achieve those offices by elective means. Anyway, this was a fascinating documentary of the VP over the centuries. Highly recommended.
