Nixon successfully defused the Fund crisis with his Checkers speech.

However, Nixon saved his political career with a Checkers speech on live television.

Checkers speech has come more generally to mean any emotional speech by a politician.

He angrily responded with a phrase which would be echoed in the Checkers speech.

Other commentators suggested that had he not made the Checkers speech, Nixon might have won in 1960.

Nixon retorted that without the Checkers speech, he would not have been around to run in 1960.

Had this star been nominated and then won, his words of thanks might have been the most anticipated televised oration since the Checkers speech.

The address, later termed the Checkers speech, was heard by about 60 million Americans-including the largest television audience up to that point.

He saved himself politically in the famous 1952 "Checkers" speech by what he said, and meant, before millions of television viewers.

Some say he should deliver a modern "Checkers" speech, putting the character questions on the table.