THE VICE PRESIDENCY: Agnew Afloat

"The Vice President used to be just a heartbeat away; now he's just a subpoena away."

So an Agnew adviser half-jokingly described the Vice President's delicate position amid continuing talk of President Nixon's possible impeachment or resignation. Since Agnew might suddenly find himself President—but can hardly escape from Nixon's shadow now —he must follow a strategy of demonstrating his loyalty while asserting his independence. Yet he must not appear to be talking with a forked tongue—and the Vice President, as everyone knows, likes to talk. "We're in the most sensitive, most sacrosanct...