CNN is reporting that former President Gerald Ford has died at age 93. Ford is the only person to serve as both President and Vice President who was never elected, and he was perhaps the last 'moderate' Republican President. Many think that when he pardoned Nixon, he did what was necessary to heal the nation and at the same time sealed his own fate in the coming election.
I was a young teenager during the Watergate years, and there is no question that watching those hearings and engaging in discussions with my family about what we ought to be able to expect from those who govern shaped my own politics. I remember that my parents were glad to see Nixon go- seeing it as a citizen's victory, and they were not pleased to see him pardoned. Yet, years later, when Ford won the Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award, Sen.Ted Kennedy referred to that decision as one that was courageous and necessary to allow the country to heal. Ford put the interest of the nation ahead of his own political future. I'd say that's not a bad example for politicans today.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Former President Gerald Ford Dies
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1 comment:
It's always sad when a president passes. President Ford wasn't dealt the best of hands when he came into office. But he probably did about as well as he possibly could have. His wife Betty is one of my favorite first ladies.
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