ANDREW JACKSON AND THE EATON AFFAIR: A NATIONAL SOAP OPERA

Calhoun had the added thrill of being able to personally defeat the nomination. The Senate tied, giving the presiding officer the deciding vote. Calhoun took great joy in casting the deciding vote. Immediately after the vote, Calhoun told Senator Thomas Hart Benton, "It will kill him dead, sir, kill him dead. He will never kick, sir, never kick." But Benton replied, "You have broken a minister, and elected a Vice President."

Benton was quite correct. When Jackson ran for re-election, he dropped Calhoun and replaced him on the ticket with Van Buren. Jackson and Van Buren won the election in a landslide. Calhoun had learned the hard way to "be careful what you wish for. You may get it." At every turn, he got what he wanted. And at every turn, Van Buren turned the situation around and made Calhoun regret it. Van Buren was not called the "Sly Fox" and the "Little Magician" for nothing.

Calhoun found himself completely isolated in the government. Jackson no longer invited him to cabinet meetings, and at any rate, the cabinet was filled with Van Buren men. Calhoun was a lame duck vice president with no influence in the government. With three months left in his term as vice president, he resigned to accept election to the Senate from South Carolina.

Van Buren became vice president, and followed Jackson as president, exactly as Calhoun had wanted to do. Peggy Timberlake Eaton was the catalyst of a series of events that led to the resignations of the entire executive branch of the government (except President Jackson)---the entire cabinet and the vice president. Monica may have made a few ripples, but Peggy Timberlake Eaton caused a tidal wave.

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