Speaking Ill of the Dead?
I come not to praise Ford, but to bury Ford.
I liked President Ford. It was hard not to. He was a likable guy. Strong, Midwestern stock, affable, able to laugh at himself. I briefly attended high school with his son Steven—back when guns were allowed. I felt sort of close to him.
I awoke on the morning of September 9, 1974 to a double disappointment: Evel Knievel had choked on his Snake River Canyon jump and President Ford had choked when it was time for justice. I’m not sure which upset me more at the time.
As time has passed, history has shown the Ford made the bigger blunder.
I know, the last week-and-a-half has seen us bombarded with accolades and tales of Ford’s “courage.� We have been told of him “sacrificing his political career� and acknowledging that fact when he pardoned Nixon.
The corporate media may want to canonize President Ford, but I’m not so sure.
If Ford felt the pardon would have cost him the election in '76, why did he run? Maybe he thought he could pull it off. Maybe he was just trying to salvage his party; how many more heads would have rolled had Nixon been brought before the Bar of Justice?
Think about that! Maybe Nixon/Ford staffers, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, would have had their careers cut short thirty years ago!
It’s nice to dream.
Our “long, national nightmare� only continued with Ford’s pardon. Ford allowed Nixon to get away with trying to be King. The imperial presidency of Richard Nixon—his high crimes and misdemeanors--escaped examination in a Court of Law. The tumor was gone, but the cancer had metastasized and already spread. This could be why we have an imperial presidency today. This could be why subsequent occupants of The White House—especially the current one--seem genuinely unaware of the illegality of their actions.
President Ford relied on a Supreme Court ruling holding that acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt. OK, so Nixon admitted his guilt.
However, not pardoning Nixon would have sent a clear message to future aspirants for that office: You are elected to serve the people, not your party, not the special interests; if you try to be King, you will be punished.
I read that the president can pardon himself—not sure if it’s true.
Perhaps on his last day in Office, President Bush will pardon himself.
Probably not. He will never admit he was wrong.
Comments
Yes Quentin, Jerry made a few mistakes, but let us not forget that he was thrust into a place where he never thought he would be, twice and it wasn't a very pretty place either. There are always those who ask 'what if' and always will be. As the saying goes, 'You can please all of the people some of the time, etc'. In the end we are all just human beings. Each with are own illogical and emotional insanity and, weather you like it or not, no matter what your station in life, history will judge you. There is a line in the song 'The Gambler' that goes 'The best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep'. Gerald Ford got to live a long life and go quietly and with few regrets and with the knowlege that he did his best I'd be willing to bet. We should all be so lucky. Rest in peace Jerry.
Posted by: Lance Fusting | January 6, 2007 06:28 PM
A tough call was made by Ford to pardon Crooked Nixon. In the end, the unnecessary prosecution of Nixon by partisans (including HRC) was avoided, and our country was able to move forward beyond Watergate and Viet Nam. Of course, after Ford lost the 1976 election we endured the malaise of the Carter years (Misery Index, Iran Hostage Crisis, Panama Canal).
Speaking of pardons--Still being investigated are the pardons made by Clinton in the waning hours of his term. It seems to be a case of blatant selling of that Presidential Privilege for cash for him and his cronies; making Watergate pale in comparison.
Interesting fact: Jerry Ford was a member of the Warren Commission.
Posted by: Frank | January 8, 2007 12:15 PM