Gerald Ford, R.I.P.
Dec 27th, 2006 at 7:02 am by Susie
Ford, who believes strongly in Heaven and Hell, has told more than one of his celebrity golf partners that ‘I know I will go to hell, because I pardoned Richard Nixon.’ ” - Hunter S. Thompson
I was watching a very funny episode of “Malcolm in the Middle,” one I hadn’t seen yet, when the Fox news announcer came on with the news that Gerald Ford was dead. “Damn,” I muttered to myself. “For this?”
I know he has a reputation as a nice, honorable man. I just don’t know how he got it. (Okay, probably he was nice. But that doesn’t make up for what we did to Cambodia, and his part in it.)
To me, he will be remembered for two things. First, that he pardoned Richard Nixon, possibly as a quid pro quo. Second, he was one of a handful of people who was briefed about Richard Nixon’s illegal invasion of Cambodia - and said nothing. He was, after all, a congressional dealmaker, a man Hunter S. Thompson also referred to as “a bonehead ward heeler from Michigan” with a skull like “a rotten pear.”
I certainly don’t hate the man. (He seemed like a good husband and father, for instance.) But the tradition of slapping haloes on dead people calls for a little perspective when they’re also public officials who did/enabled horrible things. Helping Nixon and Kissinger cover up what led to the slaughter of millions in Cambodia is no small thing, and should be weighed against the image of a genial bumbler as played by Chevy Chase.
Oh, and by the way, could we stop calling him “the only unelected president”? He’s not.
people will say Dick Cheney was a good man, because he supports (or doesn’t un-support) gay rights, and for apologizing (he did, didn’t he?) for shooting Whittington.
So, yeah, I’m not impressed.
people will say Dick Cheney was a good man
WTF???? Only people who need to have their medication adjusted would think Dick Cheney is a good man. Compared to Cheney, Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter seem soft and fuzzy.
Only unelected president my foot! Amen, sister. This is why I look to your site before checking the NY Times.
He was unelected to the VP position, which puts him in a different scenario than say, LBJ.
Hey Dave - you wanna put your money up?
Yeah, “only unelected president” is a misleading bit of shorthand. But it is true that Ford was the only person ever to have become president without first being elected to that office or to the office of vice president.
You’re right in my wheelhouse with that posting. Just what I think. By the way, ask the people of East Timor about how much they like Gerald R. Ford. He was no devil, but he was no saint either, and he did some bad stuff and some good stuff. In his favor are that he was pro-choice and supported marriage equality and generally was moderate and a Rockefeller type of Republican. Against him was the invasion of East Timor and that thing with Nixon. But then, had he not agreed to the pardon to begin with he would not have been president. He cut that deal with Haig. I don’t doubt that for a second. Hell, it is acknowledged that they discussed all the pardon options before Ford was offered the appointment. You think he got the offer without the pardon deal?
Thanks for this honest post about Gerald Ford.