LOS ANGELES - Gerald R. Ford, who picked up the pieces of
Richard Nixon's scandal-shattered White House as the 38th and only unelected president in America's history, has died, his wife, Betty, said Tuesday. He was 93.
He was the longest living president, followed by Ronald Reagan, who also died at 93. Ford had been living at his desert home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., about 130 miles east of Los Angeles.
Ford was an accidental president, Nixon's hand-picked successor, a man of much political experience who had never run on a national ticket. He was as open and straight-forward as Nixon was tightly controlled and conspiratorial.
He took office minutes after Nixon flew off into exile and declared "our long national nightmare is over." But he revived the debate a month later by granting Nixon a pardon for all crimes he committed as president. That single act, it was widely believed, cost Ford election to a term of his own in 1976, but it won praise in later years as a courageous act that allowed the nation to move on.
Ford also earned a place in the history books as the first unelected vice president, chosen by Nixon to replace Spiro Agnew who also was forced from office by scandal.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061227/ap_on_re_us/obit_ford
4 comments:
Ford calmed America after the worse scandal in US history until along came Bush. What's really sad is Watergate will be part of his legacy. Most will say kind words and excuse the error of pardoning Nixon. If you lived during the 70's it was something that was unforgivable. We had a President who committed crimes and continued to lie about it even as he resigned. He allow employees to take the fall. Even Mrs. Mitchell's death was part of the cover up as she was leaking information about Nixon's crimes. Tricky Dick knew when he appointed Ford that the plan would be to clear him of crimes if it got to the point he was going to be impeached. Look at today for the answers of yesterday. The GOP covered up Foley's conduct for years then let him leave without charge. That's the GOP criminal Code. If Ford didn't do as he was told he wouldn't have been appointed VP. As for Spiro Agnew most Americans don't even know who he was or that he was the VP when Nixon was President. Ford can now explain his reasons for the pardon and lying under oath to God. I pray God can forgive him.
Nixon is a perfect example of why people were so tired of the GOP at that time and Carter came in, was a non-GOP, and Ford did not have a chance. But the Chimpster best not compare himself as being similar to Ford. And so far I have not seen the Chimpster express his condolances with Laura Bush grinning like a crazy person standing next to him while doing this, just like she did when he announced Reagan's or the Pope's death.
Sorry grinning "like a crazy person" Laura Bush is crazy, I am sure of it. Certified mentally unstable I am sure.
Well, I remembered when Ford made that tragic error when he pardoned Nixon. It caused him the presidency to Carter. People thought that they were in the right direction when he said justice prevailed in the Watergate scandal and then put the knife in people's backs when he gave Nixon a full pardon. Thst is something that he will have to tell his maker. But, nevertheless, sorry for his death..
Yeah, I haven't heard from the chimpster. It will be very interesting to what he has to say since Ford was around the Watergate scandal...
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