Critics blast Obama's stand against Fox News as 'Nixonian'

President Barack Obama's stand against Fox News and others viewed as hostile to his administration is being roundly derided as "Nixonian" by critics that include political pundits, journalists and legislators who remember Richard Nixon's paranoid and divisive presidency. Longtime Republican Lamar Alexander, who once worked as an aide to Nixon, took to the Senate floor last week to draw ominous comparisons between Obama administration tactics and those of his former boss. Veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas has railed against attempts by White House officials to control the media, saying their efforts have been more aggressive than they were in the years when she covered the Nixon administration. And the mainstream media, even those organizations considered Obama-friendly, have widely criticized the White House for its war against Fox, citing the Nixon years.