But there's a critical difference between Nixon's strategy and the one Romney now owns: Nixon had credibility with the far right and didn't put it at risk when he rushed to the center.
But rather than face that difference squarely, Mr. Dodd's strategy has been to smear Mr. Reich's reputation, accusing him in a letter to this paper of, among other things, being soft on terrorism.
But it is the strategy of this turnaround that highlights the crucial difference between those who advocate for old buildings on the basis of art and history and those who deal in them as commercial commodities.
So it will be interesting to see what tangible proposals on flags make it into their final strategy paper, and whether those proposals make any difference on Northern Ireland's flag festooned streets.