Stop trying to tell me Gerald Ford was a good, decent man.

[stevedeshazer]

Gerald R. Ford, the greatest enabler in American history, is being lionized tonight.

I read post after post parroting all the right-wing talking points about him.

Come on, you know them by heart; decent man, accidental president, ended our long national nightmare, lovable stumble bum.

I'm calling bullshit.

Ford is the guy who pardoned the evil bastard Nixon (he also pardoned Tokyo Rose, for you Freeper lurkers.) Richard Fucking Milhous Nixon, for Christ's sake. The drunken, power-mad narcissist who claimed to have "a secret plan to end the Viet Nam War" and subsequently sent thousands of Americans to needless death and trauma.

Does this sound familiar? How would you feel if George W. Bush were similarly pardoned by say, Chuck Hagel? It could happen.

It's hard to see DUer's here praise Oatmeal Man as 'the last decent Republican President', 'an impeccable, honorable man', 'a simple and good man'.

And on and on.

Don't insult me and the other guys my age who were faced with being drafted into the military debacle of our generation by telling us that the guy who pardoned this criminal president, who escalated the war beyond all sense of proportion, "ended our long national nightmare".

Hell, this nightmare continues today, far worse than my 1974 self could ever imagine.

May I set the record straight?

First, Ford's pardon of Nixon did not 'heal the nation'. It halted any investigation of the crimes of Richard Nixon. Further, it established a precedent that was continued by George H. W. Bush, who pardoned the likes of Caspar Weinberger and described him as "true American patriot" and said clemency was granted both to spare him torment and cost of lengthy legal proceedings. Must be nice.

Second, Ford advanced the bloodthirsty careers of no less than Henry Kissinger, Richard Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld. These guys belong in a war crimes tribunal. Their boss was a good Republican? My ass.

Third, Ford gave the green light to Indonesia's illegal invasion of East Timor, resulting in up to 200,000 DEAD PEOPLE.

Fourth, the Project for a New American Century, and the resulting fall and decline of America's standing in the 21st century would never have happened without Ford's unholy deal with his evil fucking boss (see #2.)

I could go on, but the attention span of the Ford supporters here likely won't cover the thirty-plus years of hell and repetition of history that have resulted in PNAC, because in case you haven't noticed, ALL THESE PNAC'ers are the SAME FUCKING GUYS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED AND PERMANENTLY DISCREDITED had Mr. Nice Guy Gerry not PARDONED Richard Milhous Nixon for all his crimes, which today remain uninvestigated.

The 'liberal media' will go all-out in the coming days rewriting history to make Gerald Ford out as the second coming of Jesus. As far as I'm concerned, Gerald Ford is the first coming of the ridiculous notion that America could dominate the world at gunpoint.

Fuck that.

[undeterred]

1. Amen to that.

To find a Republican president who was a decent man you'd have to go back a lot further.

[Name removed]

176. Deleted message

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[Telly Savalas]

206. Abe Lincoln? Vietnam? C'mon here.

[ConsAreLiars]

2. Exactly.

Ford's role in covering up the crimes of that era gave those evil monsters more time. And what we see today is his legacy. The same players, the same goals, and the same results. May he rot in hell for his cowardice and complicity.

[Erika]

3. Good points

It took memory searching to remember all that.

[Nothing Without Hope]

4. Absolutely agree. Thank you for this post.

Plus, the 24/7 eulogizing and history-rewriting will displace so much important news and discussion at this critical time.

K & R - and I wish I could give multiple R's. Well said.

Bullshit indeed. And dangerous, destructive bullshit at that. The GOP-owned-and-operated corporate media talking heads and newspaper writers will be carrying on and on. It's ridiculous to add still MORE bullshit to their output.

[MarinCoUSA]

5. I'am with SD all the way on this Ford bullsh*t.

-n/t

[Nutmegger]

6. It PISSES me off so much

To know that Tricky Dick, an evil bastard, got pardoned... damn, WTF?

[nicknameless]

7. Oatmeal Man

“Pardon Our Analysis (We Beg Your Pardon)”

“The pardon you gave was not yours to give”
“the man who tried to steal America is not going to jail”
“Nixon should be in San Quentin not San Clemente. And while we're at it why not pardon Charles Manson? It was only mass murder... pardon us while we get sick.”

-- Gil Scott Heron

(What I could find of his Oatmeal Man lyrics)

[bluescribbler]

61. I Beg your Pardon, America

I found the lyrics, (with typos and commentary), here.

[nicknameless]

200. Thanks for posting that.

It was much more than I could dig up, errors aside, as you noted. "Oak meal" man?

[hfojvt]

8. I'm not gonna lionize him now that he's dead

any more than I did when he was alive
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

First, investigations had already dragged on for over two years, with what results? Two resignations and some convictions or those may have followed - only Nixon was pardoned, and this only after he had left office in disgrace. Also, it was Kennedy and Johnson who started the whole Vietnam debacle. So, it cannot all be laid at Nixon. His Presidency, on balance, was not nearly as bad as either Reagan's or JR Bush's.

Second, he advanced their careers? Or did he just keep most of Nixon's cabinet?

Third, please. Indonesia would not have invaded without Ford's green light? Anyway, Ford seems far less culpable there than people like Kerry, Clinton, and Edwards, who gave the green light to Bush's illegal invasion of Iraq. So condemn them too when they die.

Fourth, right again. Bush would not have been elected by the Supreme court without Ford's assistance. Is this some sort of butterfly effect you are claiming. Ford stumbles, causing PNAC to come to fruition? I think it is more likely that this travesty of a Bush Presidency would not have happened if our current Republicans in Congress had half the character and class of Ford. Was he a rubber stamp for Nixon before he became VEEP, like the current Republican Congress has been a rubber stamp for Bush?

[Demeter]

53. Gerald Ford Repented of His Pardon of Nixon!

He realized, with the wisdom of hindsight, just what evils were done, when he was thoughtful and worried enough to try to give the nation a new day--and all he did was give the GOP a clean slate and license to go on doing what they had been doing--theft, war, oppression, etc.

None of the GOP to follow him ever repented of anything---so in that respect, at least, Ford was a better man than any who came after him in the Party. In his memory, and in recognition of his repentance, we must convict the coup-makers, from Katherine Harris to Alberto Gonzalez, to Sandra Day O'Connor and her four partners in crime, to the big 2 and a half themselves!

[Jim Lane]

63. Did he say that in public? or is this just rumor?

I'd be very interested in seeing a link or a reference about Ford's repentance.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

9. Fuck the rivisionists!

The guy was an EVIL MOTHERFUCKER who sent many innocent Americans to death for war profits. Fuck him and the bunch who rode in with him. 'm glad he is dead! I only wish he suffered more!

[brentblack]

55. What???

How is he evil and how did he kill anyone? We were getting out of Vietnam and all he did was preside over less than 2 years in a strange time in US History.

Read about his earlier days and his work after the Office.

Anyway...good luck on that Karma for wishing pain and suffering on a harmless old man who was nothing more than a footnote in US politics.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[EVDebs]

181. Actually April of 1975. BTW, at the Ford Library and

the stolen cables of Amb. Graham A. Martin

http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/guides/Finding%20Aid...

you get to ask yourselves about Ford's role in the Warren Commission JFK murder coverup, along with this stuff stolen from the Saigon embassy, ensconced in the Rome embassy by Martin, and then surreptitiously brought back to the US only to be stolen and scattered in a No. Carolina play area

""In January 1978, the North Carolina State Police found a cache of classified documents in the trunk of a car that had been stolen from former U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam Graham A. Martin. They turned the documents over to the FBI. The documents were embassy files Martin had taken with him when he evacuated Saigon on April 29, 1975, just hours before the city fell to the Communists. The Justice Department, in considering prosecuting Martin for misuse of classified documents, sent copies of the files to the National Security Council for a damage assessment. The copies remained in NSC files until 1982, when the NSC determined that they should have been considered presidential papers and sent them to the Ford Library.

Most of the more than 6000 pages are from the Nixon and Ford administrations, although a few documents originating in Lyndon Johnson's administration and one segment regarding the Diem coup from John F. Kennedy's administration are also present. With a few exceptions, the materials have been maintained in the "packets" that were designated by the FBI. In most cases, the reverse chronological order in which they were received has been changed to forward chronological order.""

Remember the attempt by Nixon to smear JFK with complicity in Diem's assassination via E. Howard Hunt ? Here's where the cables come in...

[cboy4]

194. Wow.....those are some pretty strong words for someone who

sounds like he's about six years old.

[calimary]

10. Can't argue with ANY of this. I remember feeling so incredibly

shortchanged, both personally AND on behalf of all my fellow citizens. And I feel like quoting DUer aquart at the moment, when posting about whether the pardon REALLY "healed our nation"...

aquart (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-27-06 07:26 AM
Response to Original message - re: death of Gerald Ford and his pardoning of Nixon
17. It didn't heal. It festered.
Children learned that the rich and important don't pay for their crimes. They learned only underlings are sacrificed and justice is a crock. I don't call that healing. And conservative children learned that evil has no consequences.

All I can say to that is - "Amen."

[femrap]

218. Yes, it was a lesson learned by way too

many. Nixon should have been sent to jail....sure, it would have been one of those country club jails, but that was the beginning of the downfall of our system of justice...well, the facade of justice.

Then along came Carter and since he had some religious folks (Baptists) get all worked up over his election, this gave the RR great ideas....we can use these dumb ass religious folks to get our repugnants elected.

Is there anywhere on this globe where the political system is half way decent? Anywhere?

[anitar1]

11. Thanks for posting this. Hearing the announcement

of his death this evening and then watching the crap start to roll made me feel sick. I remember Watergate very clearly, and was stunned when Nixon was pardoned. I also watched Nixon's funeral to see the rouge's gallery in attendence. Amazing how these politicians are such hypocrits.Well, old Gerry sure healed the country , didn't he? We will hear the script being rewritten in the next few days.I will not be mourning this man.Wonder what it costs we, the people, to bury one of these men ?

[Kiouni]

12. But....

lose of life is always saddening even if they are in their 90's. He was a human being and as such deserves some respect.

[yorgatron]

14. only the good die young,and Ford proves it.

only a handful of conspirators got jail time for Watergate,it should have been the whole damn bunch.

[Zhade]

16. Not when they aid and abet murderers, it isn't.

There is not one thing sad about this guy passing on.

[Warren Stupidity]

38. Respect is fine.

But calling Ford a great president is a joke, and having that criminal Al Haig tell me that there was no shitty deal over Nixon, lying his ass off on national television, was an instant reminder that the domestic conflict over the vietnam war continues to this day and is laying out right now both in the retread conflict in Iraq and in the endless attempts to rewrite history.

[tomp]

48. bull.

no one is being disrespectful. people get the respect they deserve. basic human respct, no less. after that, it's about what you did or didn't do in life. we have no obligation to approve of his actions. people here are commenting on his role in american history, which, in case you hadn't noticed, or can't read the op, we are still living through. take your useless sentimantality and do something else with it.

[Left Is Write]

114. You should go back into the archives and read the posts about Reagan.

His death was not mourned here at DU.

[MisterP]

13. but don't you LIKE the okaying of a wiretapping, thug- and burglar-hiring,

secret-warring, scumbucket?! *lip quiver* He gave us CREEP, Liddy, Colson, Laotian smack, and thousands more dead.
<---it's terrifying this is needed on this board!

[Zhade]

15. It's appalling to see the ignorance.

Nixon committed crimes. While not on the scale of the current administration's, they were severe enough to warrant imprisonment.

Ford killed that hope of justice, and people are ignoring that to bleat praises about him.

Unfuckingbelievable.

This kind of ignorance is why we got Reagan... then Poppy... now b*s*.

[tigereye]

123. isn't it possible that he was able to show some type of

prescience about what the trial and possible imprisonment of a president would entail? Doesn't it seem that our experience of the Clinton/Lewinsky debacle would tell us that that kind of legal nightmare with Nixon in the dock, would have been a horrible thing to witness, as deserving of it as Nixon may have been? It was bad enough watching the intensity and seriousness of the Watergate hearings themselves.

Nixon did awful things, but I think even some of Ford's harshest critics at the time have felt in retrospect that he probably had made a wise decision.

I think that every President has intense fallibilities, but people seem unable to see the positive aspects of Ford, pre-Presidency, during and post-Presidency.

[Solon]

158. Yeah, nice precedent there, the law doesn't apply to Presidents...

And people wonder why Bush can get away with the shit he got away with so far.

[tigereye]

165. I think that the law does apply to presidents

but it was such a shock at the time, that he would even be involved in something of that sort.

Is trying a president really the way to go? I think that Bush has done some things that are truly horrifying, but would we really want him to be tried? What kind of precedent does that set? And isn't that what the impeachment process is for?

[Solon]

170. Impeachment is for REMOVAL from OFFICE so they CAN be prosecuted!

Look, we either are a country ruled by law, or one ruled by fiat and strong-arm politics, damn the consequences. I prefer rule of law myself, you apparently think differently.

[tigereye]

233. no, it isn't

the purpose of impeachment is not as a precursor to prosecution. I'm not a lawyer, maybe someone who is can back me up here.

I really hate all or nothing thinking on this board, please read some presidential and legal history and get back to me. One-liners aren't an argument, either.

[Voltaire99]

203. The ignorance will allow future Fords and Nixons in.

Some of whom will just happen to be--wait for it--"Democrats."

[donheld]

17. Gerald Ford was a good, decent man.

Hey, I'll try anything once. Seriously I tend to agree with you. Trouble is we live in the United States of Amnesia.

[demobabe]

18. Anybody under the age of 40 doesn't really remember him

Heck, I was a little kid, and remember asking my mother why that man was getting on a helicopter, and why was it he was so bad? Ford was just a name to be recited in school as being our new President.

They keep us as stupid as possible so they can pull the same tricks over and over (but of course you already figured that out).

[nolabels]

73. Many older than 40 don't waste much time trying to remember him

Yea, pardoning Nixon must of been the high point in his career, what an accomplishment

On a scale of one to ten he was in the minus column when it came to anything that exciting and new.
Thank goodness for that i would guess

[Major Hogwash]

83. Except for the SNL skit Chevy Chase did, there wasn't much to remember

Except for all those times they showed him on teevee falling down stairs trying to get out of Air Force One.

Man, seeing that happen always made me feel proud to be an American.

LoL

[Zhade]

110. *I'm* 31, and even I'm not falling for the bullshit whitewashing of this guy.

For some reason I just can't get past the whole "pardoned a criminal who should have gone to jail for illegal domestic spying and escalating a war based on lies/East Timor/aiding in the JFK cover-up/putting RUMSFELD and CHENEY into positions of power" thing.

[cui bono]

19. You make a good argument to support John Dean's reasons why

those surrounding Bush should get impeached, so they can't grow up to be just like him. Let's purge them out now while we can.

[corkhead]

20. He'd have to be the third coming; Raygun was the 2nd according to the corporate press

Ford was a toady who let off the hook the criminals who (until now) were the greatest threat to the constitution our country had ever seen. Thank you for your post, it is amazing how it looks today to most people who only see it from a distance through a rear view mirrror.

[Philosoraptor]

21. I don't suffer fools gladly anymore.

I won't allow any re-writing of history thanks. I remember all that shit goin' down, and I can hold a grudge for decades.

[Philosoraptor]

22. Unfortunately we'll have to put up with it all day.

Some here just don't get it.

[corkhead]

72. the two biggest lies being catapulted by the corporate media:

1. America's only unelected president
2. He "healed a nation"

...My Ass.

If pardons heal a nation so well, maybe Nouri al-Maliki should pardon Saddam Hussein. They could use some healing right about now.

[butterfly77]

93. Some kind of way they will try to swing...

the information about him into Bush by telling us how Ford brought the country together...and how in bad times we should follow our leaders no matter what...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. Ted Kennedy Thought He Was

Remarks by Senator Edward M. Kennedy

I'm honored to be here today with President Gerald R. Ford, the winner of this year’s Profile in Courage Award, and Congressman John Lewis, the recipient of the Profile in Courage Lifetime Achievement Award.

In his book, President Kennedy told the stories of courageous political leaders who faced crucial decisions and made them under great pressure, and often at great risk to their own careers. I believe my brother would be especially pleased with our winners this year. He would feel that their stories of courage would have made outstanding new chapters in his book.

At a time of national turmoil, America was fortunate that it was Gerald Ford who took the helm of the storm-tossed ship of state. Unlike many of us at the time, President Ford recognized that the nation had to move forward, and could not do so if there was a continuing effort to prosecute former President Nixon. So President Ford made a courageous decision, one that historians now say cost him his office, and he pardoned Richard Nixon.

I was one of those who spoke out against his action then. But time has a way of clarifying past events, and now we see that President Ford was right. His courage and dedication to our country made it possible for us to begin the process of healing and put the tragedy of Watergate behind us. He eminently deserves this award, and we are proud of his achievement.

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs ...

[tomp]

49. and he was dead ass wrong. nt

[Zodiak]

144. I'll second that

Kennedy is wrong on this. The only grief Ford spared the Nation was the grief of comfy politicians putting their careers on the line for justice. It is easy to speak of the grief spared the nation when you are sitting in the halls on Congress that would have to get off of its ass and do these things. Thanks, Ford, for sparing us the effort of doing something. There was precious little of "do something" then and there is precious little of that now.

Why do I have a feeling that all of this "heal the nation" crap is a prelude to us letting Bushboy off the hook for his crimes?

[natrat]

24. i'm not sure he could hold his own with the garbage that now is repub party nt

[EFerrari]

25. You bet. Fuck that. nt

[ixion]

26. great rant and reality check

Ford sucked. Remember the W.I.N (Whip Inflation Now) campaign? Just another rethuglikan trashing the world at our expense.

kicked and recommended.

[Ian David]

27. But Tokyo Rose was actually innocent. NPR did a long piece about it. n/t

[Paulie]

119. Can't let facts get in the way of a good rant

[Poll_Blind]

214. Thank you- I am very busy and don't have time for a longer reply...

...but Tokyo Rose was innocent. From what I recall there were a number of Tokyo Roses anyway.

PB

[PCIntern]

28. You are exactly correct..and there's even more.

..the last surviving member of the Warren Commission. That's why the whole Nixon thing was such a nightmare - it was beyond the 'plot theory', there were almost unimaginable machinations...there was so much more to all this and it was stopped. Permanently.

The House Investigations into the Assassinations were turned into a circus. what an era.

[tomp]

50. what an era, is right! and we're repeating it, magnified, now.

thanks, gerry.

[thingfisher]

118. Indeed!

People do not think that RFK and Watergate had anything in common. Why do you think it was so important to cover up?
There is so much more to know....

[WinkyDink]

29. THANK YOU. I never thought DEMOCRATS would don rose-colored glasses for these guys.

[Zodiak]

147. They are acting like their leaders

and CNN, in my opinion.

[HughBeaumont]

30. What I'm thinking . . .

. . . is that yes, pretty much 75 to 85% of DUers know that Ford was an enabling moran who only recognized corruption but chose not to investigate it for convictions. He DID pardon Nixon, an unforgiveable act and certainly a reprehensible precedent considering today's "leadership" (two of it's biggest bastards were under his employ). The future BFEE, neo-fascist corporate leaders and PNAC almost definitely saw this action as their green light for turning the treasury, military and country into their personal illegal mint.

Yet, it was said previously that with this passing, we're merely trying to be "the better party" and finding something . . . ANYthing nice to say, because you think Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton's passing is going to evoke bi-partisan aisle-reaching from the Repukes? There'll be more venom sprayed than a zoo filled with snakes.

Yes, Ford sucked, but the perspective here is that he's a boy scout compared to his neo-clown successors. I didn't bat a yawn when Nixon and Saint Ronnie croaked, and when the Grand Cyclops XLI passes, there'll only be a B.I.H. from me.

[Vinca]

31. Thank you, Jerry Ford.

For bringing the word "hagiography" into my mind. It's one I rarely use, but I'm happy to know I still remember how to spell it.

[shance]

32. Ford also led the Impeachment hearings against Supreme Ct. Justice William Douglas

To quote the description of the hearings they were a "farce".

"The hearings began in late April 1970, and Ford was the main witness, accusing Douglas' “liberal opinions” as well as his “defense of the "filthy" film, ‘I Am Curious Yellow.’” and ties with Albert Parvin, (see above)

Additionally, he was criticized for accepting $350.00 for an article he wrote on folk music for the magazine Avant Garde. The magazine’s publisher had served a prison sentence for the distribution of another magazine in 1966 that had been deemed pornographic.

Describing Douglas’ article, Ford stated, “The article itself is not pornographic, although it praises the lusty, lurid, and risqué along with the social protest of left-wing folk singers.” Ford also attacked Douglas for an article in Evergreen Magazine, which was famous for its pictures of naked ladies.

The Repubican congressmen refused to give the majority Democrats copies of the magazines, prompting Congressman Wayne Hays to remark "“Has anybody read the article -- or is everybody over there who has a magazine just looking at the pictures?” <3>

When it became clear that the hearings were a farce, they were brought to a close, and no public vote on the matter taken. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_O._Douglas

[kskiska]

43. I remember Jackie Kennedy going to see "I Am Curious Yellow"

[Kolesar]

87. Amazing. The things I learn on this website

[Name removed]

153. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[riderinthestorm]

159. Counting down, 10, 9, 8, 7.....

enjoy your stay....

[suffragette]

89. Thanks for this important point

Thanks for posting this, Shance.

I didn't know about this episode, so read more about it after your post on it. How enlightening.
In looking at this action and at subsequent attempts to emulate it, there is an even clearer picture of Ford as a cog in the machine which grinds away at people's rights.

From http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=71...
Republican Congressmen led by future President Gerald Ford made several attempt to impeach the justice. Ford's efforts, which failed, were widely viewed as retaliation for the Senate's rejection of two of President Richard Nixon's Supreme Court nominees.

And what did Ford say about his reason for trying this:
http://www.orbstandard.com/News/Gerard/gene_gerard_judi...
When Congressman Ford was asked what was Douglas' offense, Ford
infamously responded by saying, "The only honest answer is whatever a majority
of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in
history."

An article in Time magazine from that time had a revealing analysis of the real motives:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,909119...
If it works, the ultimate goal is to force the Senate to vote on Douglas shortly before Election Day next fall. The purpose: to embarrass Senate liberals who are running for re-election and would presumably find it difficult to vote for the "immoral" Douglas no matter how they themselves regarded the charges against him.

So, since they disagreed with Douglas' rulings about individual rights, privacy, conservation and corporate responsibility but couldn't take him on over that, they tried to go after him on flimsy moral insinuations and take him and his influence down that way, as well as trying to intimidate others to cooperate so they wouldn't be smeared during their campaigns. Sound familiar?

If that isn't enough, here's a modern parallel to that action that shows the same pattern of behavior:
http://www.orbstandard.com/News/Gerard/gene_gerard_judi...

At a recent conservative political conference on the judiciary, Phyllis
Schlafly, founder of the conservative women's group Eagle Forum, stated that
since Justice Kennedy ruled against the death penalty for juveniles, this "is a
good ground for impeachment."  Michael P. Farris, chairman of the Home School
Legal Defense, stated, "If our congressman and senators do not have the courage
to impeach and remove from office Justice Kennedy, they out to be impeached as
well." And constitutional lawyer Edwin Vieira called for Kennedy's impeachment,
stating that his ruling in the consensual sex case supported "satanic principles
drawn from foreign law." Both Tom DeLay and Republican Congressman Todd Tiahrt
of Kansas have supported impeaching Kennedy.

Basically the same play with newer, and more obvious, players.

Ford was no healer in my book and having an amiable aspect does not excuse his calculated actions.

[stevedeshazer]

155. William O. Douglas is an American hero.

That's another thread for the young and the memory-impaired. Thanks for bringing that up.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

33. Agreed. n/t

[Mad_Dem_X]

34. Thanks for setting the record straight

I was unaware of some of those things; thank you for enlightening me (and, I'm sure, others).

[Swamp Rat]

35. AMEN!

!

[JTFrog]

36. Hmmm....

Gerald R. Ford, who picked up the pieces of Richard Nixon’s scandal-shattered White House as the 38th president and the only one never elected to nationwide office

At some point shouldn't history be re-written?

You'll never convince me * was elected in 2000 and I sure won't tell my grandchildren any different.

[diane in sf]

177. And he wasn't elected in 2004 either!

Not if you check out the exit polls!

[Warren Stupidity]

37. Thanks Steve.

Sometimes I think all us boomer lost our brains, but then somebody like you comes along and reminds me that my experience of What Really Happened was not some dream. The long national nightmare continues, partially because of what Ford did and the deal he cut.

[lonestarnot]

39. Just turn the shit off. My ears and eyes can't take it.

Renting movies tonight for the rest of the week. I'll be here for my only news source.

[knitter4democracy]

40. And he played for U of M. That's all you need to know.

He was the only president from Michigan, and that's whom we sent. At least he had a great wife who had a lot of courage to publically admit her troubles and keep her own personal style.

[Zodiak]

150. He went to Michigan?

another reason for this Buckeye to not like him.

[knitter4democracy]

154. Yup. He played football and was an All-American.

My stepmom's dad was an All-American at State around the same time.

[wizstars]

41. don't forget the slimewad tried to impeach Wm. O. Douglas...

the greatest American jurist since Brandeis.

[mnhtnbb]

42. AMEN--especially that closing line.

[ProfessorGAC]

44. What Steve Said!

The hagiography on Washington Journal this morning was downright revolting.
The Professor

[IndyOp]

45. Ford was on Warren Commission - lied to the nation about JFK murder

...for that alone he deserves to be remembered as having had a strong, strong negative impact on our nation. I believe Gore Vidal is correct when he has said that we lost our nation when we allowed them to lie to us about Kennedy's assassination.

[hippiechick]

51. ... and that's exactly why Nixon appointed him VP ...

... returning the favor, y'know.


Creeps and Crooks, the whole lot of them - rotten to the core.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

95. No. Nixon needed a sure 'pardon'

and appointing Ford was based on ensuring that later action.

[hippiechick]

113. Same difference ...

... crooks stick together and tend to scratch each others' backs.

N'cest pas ?

[Philosoraptor]

46. Crap, I already recommended this, I wanna rec it again.

[In Truth We Trust]

47. Ford was a Warren Commission Stooge and appointed Poppy to CIA. nuff said k&r

[freefall]

52. Thank you, SD. K&R

[cal04]

54. Ford administration blooded Bush stalwarts

The administration of former US president Gerald Ford will be remembered as a breeding ground for officials who went on to become linchpins of George W. Bush's government a generation later.

Ford, who died late Tuesday aged 93, oversaw the promotion of several figures who later became pillars of the Bush administration, including Vice-President
Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Cheney, who served under Richard Nixon, returned in 1974 on Ford's orders as the president's chief of staff from 1975 to 1977.

Rumsfeld, meanwhile became the youngest ever secretary of defence under Ford in 1975. He returned to the post in 2001 after Bush was elected president.

Another key figure of the Bush administration and architect of the war in
Iraq, Paul Wolfowitz, also served under Ford, heading up the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency in charge of anti-proliferation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061227/pl_afp/uspoliticsp...

[IWantAChange]

56. I'm glad to see that DUer's haven't lost their edge after Xmas and

still recognize a Rethug when they see one. I can't possibly agree more that so much of what we have today could have been AVOIDED had the pardon not happened. Nixonites have no place at the helm of this Nation.

[area51]

57. Great piece.

[autorank]

58. K&R Very powerful reminder, extremely well said!!!

"First, Ford's pardon of Nixon did not 'heal the nation'. It halted any investigation of the crimes of Richard Nixon. Further, it established a precedent that was continued by George H. W. Bush, who pardoned the likes of Caspar Weinberger and described him as "true American patriot" and said clemency was granted both to spare him torment and cost of lengthy legal proceedings. Must be nice.

Second, Ford advanced the bloodthirsty careers of no less than Henry Kissinger, Richard Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld. These guys belong in a war crimes tribunal. Their boss was a good Republican? My ass.

Third, Ford gave the green light to Indonesia's illegal invasion of East Timor, resulting in up to 200,000 DEAD PEOPLE.

Fourth, the Project for a New American Century, and the resulting fall and decline of America's standing in the 21st century would never have happened without Ford's unholy deal with his evil fucking boss (see #2.)" from the OP.

People need to separate common decency, which we all demonstrate, from political reality, a dose of which was just administered by Dr. De Shazer.

[Sperk]

59. agree completely. I'm so sick of this "healing the nation" and "for the

good of the nation" crap. To me it always translates to...let the son of bitches off the hook, like we are a nation of scared little children who cannot handle the truth! sick of it.

[emald]

60. Completely agree with your post

Ford was a bumbling idiot of a politician alright and little else except an enabler for the gop lies that continue to this day. Good damn riddance, thats my opinion. Flame away, who cares. We are where we are at today partially because of this fuck ups patronage to his supposed gop betters. I agree that a complete investigation would have been far more healing for the nation than the stupid vapid suck up that was the pardon. He was an obfuscater, not someone who "healed the nation".

[Name removed]

62. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[robcon]

64. Gerald Ford was a good, decent man.

Not much of a president, but a good man.

[greccogirl]

82. Infinitely better than Carter was. I so wish I could take that

vote back............................

[Moochy]

99. Um...

Ford was better than Carter? In what categories exactly?

[Puglover]

162. You "so" do huh?

Please list how Ford was better than Carter.

Your posts are always so damn interesting.

[Puglover]

215. And Ill bet you like

loved Reagan. Like how he saved the hostages in Iran(when Carter could'nt) and like won the cold war?

[mac56]

219. Excuse me, but...

WTF?!

[New Earth]

65. I think for the most part

these are kind words being said since he has just died. Maybe after some time people would want more to talk about this aspect. It's not exactly nice to say "good" or "thank god" when someone dies, even if in some eyes they weren't a 'good guy'.

[deaniac21]

66. Gerald Ford was possibly one of the most evil and murderous

men to ever hold office. How anyone could find prase for anything he ever did is beyond me.

[Name removed]

80. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[toddaa]

92. Pay no attention to those rotting corpses in East Timor

And keep saying to yourself that Ford was a good and decent man.

[Midlodemocrat]

234. Who's 'you'?

[melm00se]

67. ever heard the comment

don't speak ill of the dead?

In the days just after death, celebrate his life, there will be all of eternity to review and dissect his actions and inactions.

[nashville_brook]

103. eh, i think that's fine for private citizens, but we are dealing with the leftovers of

his actions and (right or wrong) people are seeing it for what it is.

we adhered to this when nixon died and "rehabbed" his "legacy." i think we realize what a mistake that was.

they dead don't care, anymore. the living are left behind to deal with the messes, so, i think it's fair game -- unsavory, though it may be.

not nearly as unsavory as all the young men who died in the last days of that stupid war.

[Moochy]

104. Sugarcoat it, Swallow the lies

It wont poison the debate really. Lies are good for healing the nation.

So when does the "all of eternity" period start? is it 5 days we must wear black? I'm so not up on these death rituals.

[WinkyDink]

134. Why? They can't hear us, then!

[Joanne98]

68. Amen to that. The MSM seems to want to heal the nation BUT

because of seeds that were planted in the Ford administration we have been on a downhill path ever since. It is factual to say the Gerald Ford was the SNEAKIEST President we've ever had.

You can't seperate the man from his polices. Pol Pot was said the be very nice too. It doesn't mean anything.

Ford should go down in History as using the veto more than anyone else. STOPPING LIBERAL POLICES! He also hired Greenspan who never gave a worker an even break. The medium income has gone down every year since 1973. Do the math.

Goodbye Mr Ford. I hope for your sake there are golf courses in Hell.
Tell Raygun we said Hi!

[roody]

69. Can we add Chile and Pinochet

to this list?

[mconvente]

70. fuck yeah

Just pardoning Nixon is enough to make him, at the very least, "un-decent".

[elehhhhna]

71. What's all this BS about Chewney & Runny "cut their teeth" in Fords Admin?

What a pantload! He INHERITED those evil bastards from Nixon.

Now I s'pose we'll drop to half-mast for what? A month? Like for stupid Reagan?

Jerry Ford was a lameass Appeaser and the LAZIEST retired President of all time, so far.

[Seabiscuit]

74. You forgot - Ford was on the Warren Commission, happily rubber-stamping

the bullshit "magic bullet theory" to cover-up the conspiracy to assassinate JFK.

[stevedeshazer]

160. I do wish I had mentioned that

Thankfully many here did.

[Philosoraptor]

75. If you can't say anything nice about a person..

..then that person must be a recently deceased republic president.

[Moochy]

100. Canonization of Ford

MSM Hagiographers are busily putting the finishing touches on the rewritten history. And yet all some do is act concerned about DU's image and how we might be seen as mean by some other entity.

So much concern about DU's image.

[Major Hogwash]

76. Ford was on the Warren Commission - he was "just a bag boy for the boys downtown"

Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush, and Bush Jr. - Crooks and Liars, One and All

And they wonder why Democrats won't support their wars!!

Pardon me, while I puke on my shoes!!

[Imagevision]

86. Exactly! Ford was j.Edgar Hoover's stooge planted in the warren commission!

[pitohui]

77. two thumbs up

i rarely remember to hit that teeny weeny "recommend" button but for your fine essay i will make an exception

well done, my friend

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

78. But He Was A Good Decent Man. But Ok, I Digress.

I'll step back and allow you to continue dancing and spitting on his grave. Don't want to get in your way.

[Moochy]

105. Way to mischaracterize the OP

Sometimes I really wonder why you are here? Par for the course I guess.

[Javaman]

106. I have a big sloppy lugie for him. nt

[greccogirl]

79. Are you not aware that all Presidents pardon unsavory

people? Give it up on Nixon - it's over and it was years ago. Yes I would've liked to have seen Nixon go to jail but it was better for the country that he didn't.

[michaz]

81. AGREE

[greccogirl]

84. :-)

[Jax]

88. What a load of bs

How was it better for the country for Nixon not to go to jail? It was good for rethugs....