Gerald Ford

Condolences to the family.

One gets the sense from time to time that George W. Bush has become such a horrible president largely out of a desire to avoid Gerald Ford's fate; to avoid becoming someone who will go down in history most likely as the answer to a trivia question rather than remembered for dramatic events he initiated. Naturally, hundreds of presidential "ranking" systems in which only the ones who oversee something big manage to rate further encourage this line of thinking. Turns out to not actually work so well as a governing philosophy. There are worse fates than mediocrity.

Comments

My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.
-- Gerald Ford, Aug 1974

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'
-- The Onion, Jan 2001

Posted by High Ping Bastard | December 27, 2006 2:29 AM

"One gets the sense from time to time that George W. Bush has become such a horrible president largely out of a desire to avoid Gerald Ford's fate"

Of course, the striking thing is how much the Bush WH is exactly like the Ford WH, both in terms of personnel and strategy.

Posted by Petey | December 27, 2006 2:32 AM

I disagree, Petey. Bush II has gone searching abroad for monsters to create, unlike Ford.

It all happened before I was born, but as far as I can see, Ford has the reputation of a dignified guy who tried his best in a lousy situation.

Posted by Elvis Elvisberg | December 27, 2006 3:35 AM

"I disagree, Petey."

Both WH's were run by Dick Cheney. Both WH's had Rumsfeld running the Pentagon.

Both WH's fetishized secrecy far beyond the norm. Both WH's operated with an oddly grim oppositional style vis-a-vis the Democrats. And I'm just starting to scratch the surface.

Posted by Petey | December 27, 2006 3:57 AM

Ford inherited some terrible situations and did what had to be done, incurring a significant political cost by being the man to take action. We could use a Gerald Ford about now.

Posted by Steve | December 27, 2006 3:58 AM

I wish I could say the same about Ford --- but one of the things that's happened to the Republican party over the last thirty years or so has been the growing culture of impunity at its center --- the sense that the rules don't matter, that winning is all, and that, in the words of the old football coach, "if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying." And key to that is that when Republicans were caught in criminal activity, at key junctures, other Republicans did everything that they could to get 'em off.

Startled to see the crimes of Iran-Contra forgotten, and key figures in those crimes, like Eliot Abrams (not technically convicted, since they got pardoned) being honored members of the Bush/Iraq administration? It started when Ford pardoned Nixon... a key step in allowing politicians in later years to pretend his crimes just didn't matter.

Posted by "Charles Dodgson" | December 27, 2006 8:16 AM

petey, i agree that the rot was starting.

but on the whole, i think ford was a decent guy, nowhere near as fundamentally corrupt as the republicans before and after.

to my mind, he is a good example of the fundamental soundness of the constitution, i.e. that so long as the players don't try to trash the rules, the system is better than the individuals operating it.

of course, what we have learned is that the constitution is very robust against mediocrity, not as robust against intentional malignancy. damned shame, that.

Posted by kid bitzer | December 27, 2006 9:07 AM

Though I'm willing to give Ford the benefit of the doubt that it was made for best of reasons, The Pardon is unpardonable.

The great lesson of Watergate was that the Rule of Law is greater than the political power of men or parties. Ford's decision to short circuit this lesson resulted in the fact that ultimately, politics went on as usual. Money rules, dirty tricks are allowed and there is little consequence for misdeeds. If you liked Iran-Contra, Lee Atwater, Willie Horton, McCain/Bush in SC, Karl Rove, Mellon-Scaife, the Arkansas Project, Florida in 2000 and Swiftboating, well then you probably liked The Pardon. It was our best opportunity squandered to reform the political process. I cannot forgive Gerald Ford for this.

Posted by not the senator | December 27, 2006 9:15 AM

Nixon had to resign the Presidency in disgrace, a unique development in our history. I tend to reject the notion that he got off scot-free and a message was sent to future generations that there are no consequences, because that was a pretty serious consequence.

Posted by Steve | December 27, 2006 9:41 AM

petey, it is simply not true that the ford white house operated just like the bush 43 white house, and i don't care how far below the surface you attempt to go.

the idea that the ford white house operated with a "grim" oppositional style? nonsense.

the idea that the ford white house fetishized secrecy more than the "norm?" wrong.

the fetishizing of secrecy was a nixon white house attribute, which is what led to the plumbers, which is what led to watergate and the inability to come clean about the same.

as for "grim" oppositional styles, nixon (and even more so, nixon's nixon, agnew) was prepared to demonize antiwar opposition, but at that very, very nascent period of southern political realignment, it simply wasn't possible to operate in a "grim" oppositional style the way it has been under bush-cheney-rove.

yes, ford and bush 43 are alike in having some of the very same scumbags working for them: that's where the resemblance ends.

Posted by howard | December 27, 2006 9:49 AM

The great lesson of Watergate was that the Rule of Law is greater than the political power of men or parties. Ford's decision to short circuit this lesson resulted in the fact that ultimately, politics went on as usual.

I have to disagree. I think Ford's reasoning was sound. The country had been witnessing an increasingly ugly scandal for two years by the time Nixon resigned -- a scandal that took enormous amounts of energy and attention. It really was a "national nightmare", and it really was "long". The country desperately needed a respite.

And at any rate it's not like Nixon wasn't punished. He, you know, lost national office in disgrace and had become a target of derision and disdain. Moreover, a number of his associates were convicted and served time. If anyone's got a beef, it's them. But in the end, the system worked. Oh, and the country got the opportunity to punish Ford for his pardon. And it did so. The system worked doubly.

Posted by Jasper | December 27, 2006 11:03 AM

Well, no hard feelings about the third of the population of East Timor he helped genocide. Perhaps he shouldn't be remembered for mediocrity but stealth.

Posted by Ed Marshall | December 27, 2006 12:47 PM

You could probably look at everything Bush has done as a simple-minded interpreatation of recent presidential history. For example, Reagan created huge deficits and got re-elected in a landslide. Hence Cheney's: "Deficits don't matter." Carter asked Americans to sacrifice during the late '70's gas shortages. He lost to Reagan. Ergo, Bush refused to ask for any sacrifice post-9/11. Reagan cut taxes for the rich, Bush's dad reversed some of those cuts. Reagan got re-elected. GHWB didn't. Thus, Bush's entire economic program is cutting taxes for the rich. GHWB didn't use his "political capital" after the first Gulf War and didn't politicize the war itself. Bush has tied every proposal of his to 9/11 and Iraq no matter how specious the connection, he's tied Democrats to "the enemy", and he timed his war closer to re-election time. Reagan's only stumble was getting caught in Iran/Contra. So this administration is even more secretive.

Posted by Robert Rosen | December 27, 2006 1:18 PM

Gerry: Say, Homer, do you like football?
Homer: Do I ever!
Gerry: Do you like nachos?
Homer: Yes, Mr. Ford.
Gerry: Well, why don't you come over and watch the game, and we'll have nachos? And then, some beer.

*****
Rather than "mediocre," I think "boring" is more the word you were looking for.

Posted by Blaha | December 27, 2006 1:20 PM

has gone searching abroad for monsters to create

I think you'll find that Thomas Jefferson "searched" for those same "monsters abroad"...and found them.

Posted by Purple Avenger | December 27, 2006 2:32 PM

Maybe Ford wasn't so bad after all:

http://counterpunch.org/cockburn12272006.html

Posted by Duncan | December 27, 2006 4:55 PM

Matthew, you are such a dick.

Posted by Charlie (Colorado) | December 27, 2006 5:31 PM

It's important to remember the words of the old curse: "May you live in interesting times."

Posted by brian | December 27, 2006 11:21 PM

Nixon went back to San Immunity. to live out the final years of his corrupt life. He even tried to gather the press and world leaders to his fading visions and succeeded to a small degree. Remember the David Frost interviews?

Responding to "not the senator" (Nixon had to resign the Presidency in disgrace, a unique development in our history. I tend to reject the notion that he got off scot-free and a message was sent to future generations that there are no consequences, because that was a pretty serious consequence.)He walked away, but he should have beeen wearing prison blues.

Posted by Richrad Riggs | December 28, 2006 5:24 PM