CNN (and many others) are reporting that President Gerald Ford has died at the age of 93.
I have a lot of admiration for Ford. Despite the heat he took over his pardon of President Nixon, I believe that history will recall Ford fondly, as a straightforward man who steered America out of a dark time. The nation is less for losing him.
19 comments:
Ford had quite the personal resume without the Presidency.
WWII vet with 10 battle scars
Eagle Scout
Elected to Congress 12 times
33rd Degree Freemason
People will remember Gerald Ford in so many different ways and will debate his short presidency for decades to come. His history of public service, his decison to pardon President Nixon, and his post-presidency philanthropy all make him one of the truly fascinating characters of the past 100 years.
But the picture that I've seen on the newscasts this morning that I think shows the man as he truly was is a recent one. It is taped footage of him lovingly placing a medal around the neck of his amazing wife Betty at a public ceremony a few years back. He then smiles at her and kisses her; I'm sure it will be shown many times over tne next few days and hope you get a chance to see it. It is a quite touching.
As much as anything - and perhaps as important as anything - Gerald Ford was a man truly devoted to his remarkable wife. And that is a fine legacy to leave all by itself.
I remember when Ford was President and my father was invited to meet him in the Oval Office.
I was in the Navy and wanted to join my dad, but because I was an Sailor on active duty I was not allowed to attend. Protocol thing.
He gave my dad a tie clip, which my dad still wears even today.
Gerald Ford did a great job in his short tenure as President of The USA. It is sad to learn of his passing. I still have the picture that I was sent when I was 12 of President Ford with his dog I believe the dog's name was Liberty if I remember correctly.
I didn't agree with Pres. Fords decision to pardon Richard Nixon at the time but history will indeed show it was the right decision.
Fords path to the presidency was so unusual that he had made no enemies and he used that fact to heal an open and ugly wound
Gerald Ford held this country together and restored a sense of Honor in the Executive branch of Government at a time that was desperately needed.
The fact that he and President Jimmy Carter became very close after their time as president is not suprising at all. Two more decent men never held the office.
I had forgotten that Ford had even taken the unusual step of testifying under oath before a House committee where he relayed that there never was any deal with Nixon to pardon him if he resigned.
Freemasons stink! Go persecute some more catholics, you old dinosaurs!
I will never agree that Ford was right when he pardoned Nixon. The country was doing fine after two years of Watergate, and it was a weak statement by Ford that the nation couldn't have stood a President being tried as a criminal.
Everyone already KNEW he was a crook, and we would have survived him being locked up in prison for a couple of years.
I think the fact that Nixon never had to pay for his crimes led directly to our current "culture of corruption" today. Nixon may have resigned, but he pulled a full pension and SS protection until the day he died. Is that how we reward our leaders when they betray us?
When nobody is held accountable, everyone may become a criminal.
Ford was the best President to serve in the 1970s.
One odd thing I learned- he led the way in the House to impeach Justice Douglas in 1970. He also first won his House seat in a primary challenge. His rise to House leadership was also quite fierce.
Ford could be a tough guy when he had to be, but he was always honest...
Ford fought against expansion of the role of the national government. He consistently opposed federal aid to education, including funds for school construction, emergency school aid, and increased appropriations for higher education....Now there was a man who understood the meaning of the Tenth Amendment, especially as it pertained to education
Actually Ford's pardon of Nixon delayed the politics of personal destruction for abour a dozen years, until the libs tried to destroy the Reagan presidency.
Banana Repuplics jail or exile failed leaders. Is a bit of civility too much for our uberpartisans these days?
Education is a national concern, not a Federal concern.
B.A.: As a result of his conduct (perjury) President Clinton was impeached and had to give up his law license. Are you upset that he is still pulling a pension and has full Secret Service protection?
i just read B.A.'s post on his own blog and am disgusted, and somewhat surprised by how stupid and immature his rant is. wondering how people here feel about it. http://ctbob.blogspot.com/2006/12/president-fords-legacy.html
There is a legitimate argument that Ford was wrong to pardon Nixon just as there is a legitimate argument that Ford shouldn't have granted amnesty to draft dodgers or risked his life as a young Navy Lt. to save the USS Monterrey (when abandon ship had been ordered by the fleet admiral) so that it could go on LATER to help win the war in the Pacific but to suggest what B.A. suggests ; well, that's a little much for me.
>>i just read B.A.'s post on his own blog and am disgusted, and somewhat surprised by how stupid and immature his rant is
I doubt the man's ability to hate at such an extreme level has been missed by too many regular blog readers.
Whoever said Freemasons stink needs a hug and beer...Take a long walk off a short peer!
Freemasons have short peers???? or did you mean piers????
>>Freemasons have short peers????
Well....uh..some us unfortunately.
Has my wife been talking again?
Post a Comment