The three amigos: Ford, Rummy, Dead Eye Dick
The former President did an embargoed interview with Bob Woodward back in July of 2004. The Post also has the audio of the interviews on the website. Ford was none too happy with Bush and his former staffers, Cheney and Rummy, about Iraq. A lot of people disagreed with this crowd, but didn't speak out. A lot of people are dead because of that:
Former president Gerald R. Ford said in an embargoed interview in July 2004 that the Iraq war was not justified. "I don't think I would have gone to war," he said a little more than a year after President Bush had launched the invasion advocated and carried out by prominent veterans of Ford's own administration.
In a four-hour conversation at his house in Beaver Creek, Colo., Ford "very strongly" disagreed with the current president's justifications for invading Iraq and said he would have pushed alternatives, such as sanctions, much more vigorously. In the tape-recorded interview, Ford was critical not only of Bush but also of Vice President Cheney -- Ford's White House chief of staff -- and then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who served as Ford's chief of staff and then his Pentagon chief."Rumsfeld and Cheney and the president made a big mistake in justifying going into the war in Iraq. They put the emphasis on weapons of mass destruction," Ford said. "And now, I've never publicly said I thought they made a mistake, but I felt very strongly it was an error in how they should justify what they were going to do."
This morning, Bush said Ford was a "man of complete integrity." Cheney said Ford was the embodiment of "decency, integrity, and devotion to duty."
Here is an interesting timeline that I dug up:
August 9, 2004, Nixon resign from the Presidency.
August 20, 1974, Ford was sworn in as President.
September 8, 1974, Ford pardoned Nixon.
Ford's first press secretary and close friend Jerald Franklin terHorst resigned his post in protest after the announcement of President Nixon's full pardon. Ford also voluntarily appeared before Congress on October 17, 1974 to give sworn testimony—the only time a sitting president has done so—about the pardon
Ford's transition chairman and first Chief of Staff was former congressman and ambassador Donald Rumsfeld. In 1975, Rumsfeld was named by Ford as the youngest-ever Secretary of Defense. Ford chose a young Wyoming politician, Richard Cheney, to replace Rumsfeld as his new Chief of Staff and later campaign manager for Ford's 1976 presidential campaign Ford's dramatic reorganization of his Cabinet in the fall of 1975 has been referred to by political commentators as The "Halloween Massacre."
3 comments:
I wonder what Ford really thought of how Cheney and Rummy turned out. As true Nixon crooks it must have hurt that he helped them in their careers. Now Ford can't answer to God as to why he lied and pardon Nixon. Funny how Ford first testified he pardon Nixon to save the country yet in his book he said he did it because Nixon was pressuring him. Well like all truths they do come out. I noticed Ford's homes in Colorado and Virgina are for sale. That will is going to be interesting. Was Ford given life rights for his pardon for Nixon to save the Republican party. Some young journalist will follow the paper trail and get the answer.
Rummy and Cheney have been part of the problem and not the solution for way too long.
So the Gubunator is going to be out of the hospital and have to learn how to move fast on crutches for about 8 weeks to be the Gropinator. Well that will give a few of the female staff members some relief because it will be hard for him to sneek up on them.
Don't even the mention the Gropinator. The media has made the Gropinator's injury headlight news.. Who cares.. He should be focus on the CA budget and doing his job...
Yeah, Rummy and Cheney are part of the problem and not the solution.. As Jackie said history is repeating itself...
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