With Ford's death, history is being rewritten and

[Skidmore]

the myth of his "healing" of America will become what is taught in the books. I have been watching some of the coverage on his death and they are trotting out his old staff members and statements from people who he worked for and with in Congress and in his cabinet--Rumsfeld included. They are all repeating the same thing. He "healed" America and he was the guy next door. Watergate is being dismissed as resolved now. The Rs are grabbing onto this man's death like a lifeline to decency.

[Counciltucky]

1. And then America fell apart thanks to Carter and his incompetence.

And then came the Second Coming of Jesus (aka Ronald Reagan) to truly save the day.

Ford was basically a warm body in the Oval Office for 2-1/2 years, but you'll never hear that on Fox News.

[malaise]

2. Notice how all the talking heads

and some crawled back from their vacations to push one line. National security trumps the law and the constitution so Nixon should not have been put on trial. Hint, hint Dems, you are expected to forgive Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld in the name of healing.

I say fuck that.

[goddess40]

3. They are also trying to protect Bush

if the Dem's ignore his crimes they will be healers also, the reason Ford pardoned Nixon had everything to do with good old boy thinking and nothing to do with doing what would have been the right thing to do. It's disgusting that it was alright to dog Clinton spending millions of dollars and loads of ill will and finally impeach him over a stupid affair but to look the other way for a real crime is okay - only a fellow criminal would think that was okay.

[sandnsea]

4. Just another rubberstamp Republican

and the breeding ground for our current neocons. I don't think it's a coincidence that Poppy was CIA Director at the time either. From Prescott to Nixon to Ford to Reagan, and back to the Bushes. All the same bunch of thugs. That's the history nobody will tell.

[malaise]

5. One interesting point raised so far

was about Ford's Team B - the virtual shadow group which attacked CIA reports. Wolfowitz, Cheney, Rummy et al - the start of the neocons.

[Skidmore]

7. I've seen that point noted by a couple of commentators

on the cable shows but it is not the predominant theme. Healing is what is being pushed.

[sandnsea]

10. Then, like now

The CIA was being outed from within, lots of leaks to Sy Hersh. So Bush was put in charge to clean up the leaks and transform the agency, using smear campaigns as needed I imagine. We've had shit for intelligence ever since.

[goddess40]

6. We need to tell it, I'm writing to Obey and Feingold

and letting them know that I know the truth and not to buckle in to the propaganda that is swelling now that Pres. Ford has died.

[Philosoraptor]

8. Ford was an evil man who fooled ALMOST everyone.

but he didn't fool me by God, he didn't fool me.

[sandnsea]

11. Not necessarily evil himself

Rather just not aware of how evil others could be, like many people with the current Bush.

[Cant_wait_for_2008]

37. ROTFLOL!! eom

[Philosoraptor]

9. dupe

[Lasher]

12. We survived Saint Ronnie's Farewell Tour Across America

We'll get through this too. At least it's not going to drag on as long as the Reagan liefest.

:puke:

[cornermouse]

13. I'd rather have someone like Ford in the White House than

Bush.

[BlueStater]

14. The media, as always, is exaggerating things

Mr. Ford will go down as a mediocre president. Not terrible but extremely forgettable.

But I don't think the man was trying to build much of a legacy for himself anyway. You have to remember that he never even wanted to be president in the first place.

[WinkyDink]

35. "[N]ever wanted to be president"? HAHA! They ALL do!

[puebloknot]

15. K&R "...grabbing onto this man's death like a lifeline to decency. "

Beautifully said!

[malaise]

16. True but Bush sure sounded like

a hypocrite when he used the word decent.

[corkhead]

22. like a fight over the last lifeboat on the Titanic

[lebkuchen]

17. Cheney is being quoted talking about decency and integrity

which supports your claim.

Maybe Betty, who was my favorite in the family, will persuade a family member to rescue her husband's death from the clutches of the evil Bushies with a Ron Reagan-like eulogy.

K & R to your comment. Well put.

[Disturbed]

19. I wonder what Nixon's Trial would have been like.

Would it have been horrible for America like most of the pundits say?

[lebkuchen]

21. I think it would have been cleansing and healthy for America

and the world.

[Lugnut]

27. Absolutely not

It would have been fitting for Nixon to be brought to justice like any other criminal. In my opinion a Nixon trial would have allowed our Constitution to work the way it was intended to work. Instead he was let off the hook.

[Lost4words]

34. What was horrible for America was to have Nixon in the first place!

But insted we showed the world the truth, laws are for poor folks.

[mogster]

18. He was used by the apartheid regime in South Africa

From Eschel Rhoodie's book 'The great information scandal'

Mulder also met with Reagan:


Republican presidents supporting racists, my oh my. Are we today surprised at what we see going on down south, and down east?

[Philosoraptor]

20. But they'll call ford a hero & a great man, like reagan & Lincoln.

[katsy]

23. Our standards of decency must be in the toilet...

side by side with the walmart mentality.

k & r

[B Calm]

24. He ignored the will of the people and the rule of law when he pardoned

the crook!

[Tin Man]

25. I guess Jimmy Carter is now a co-conspiritor in spinning that myth...

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) - Former President Jimmy Carter is remembering Gerald Ford as "one of the most admirable public servants and human beings" he has ever known.

Carter defeated Ford in 1976. Ford, who died last night at his home in Rancho Mirage, assumed the presidency in 1974 upon the resignation of Richard Nixon because of the Watergate scandal.

Carter called Ford "an outstanding statesman" who "wisely chose the path of healing during a deeply divisive time" in America's history.

The Democrat went on to say that Ford, a Republican, often rose above politics by emphasizing the need for bipartisanship on critical issues.

http://www.fox6.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=FC67095C-015C-4B85-9649-D4EACB32E501&rss=state

Oh my God, the neocons have gotten to Jimmy! :shrug:

[ProfessorGAC]

26. Or, Jimmy Just Might Be Wrong!

Carter makes mistakes, too! In my opinion, he made one about Ford.
The Professor

[goddess40]

29. Carter is letting his religion get in the way of what was right

he wanted to sweep it under the rug and move on and that's what the right will want to do with the bush adminstration crimes. Pretend it didn't happen, write history books to spin the web of lies and the American people will go along with it.

[raysr]

28. Keith Obermann

never mentioned last night that Ford lied to Congress about pardoning Nixon and never mentioned Suharto and East Timor.

[undeterred]

30. When he visited Wisconsin a cow shit on him

and he was humble about it. (His people had fresh clothes for him to change into.) He sat at the kitchen table and had breakfast, bla bla bla

[Rex]

31. RWingers always rewrite history. They have to hide the crimes

of their fucking worthless leaders. Just look at Reagan and the legacy THEY GAVE HIM (not the one he made for himself). Hero of the Cold War! Fixed our broken economy! Blah blah blah. In reality? Lying little bitch, lied about violating the US Constitution in front of Congress! Gave us the highest national debt until our current Republican criminal came along.

[Capn Sunshine]

32. Coming down the highway at you

They are emphasizing the "pardon healed America" issue exactly because they know what's in store for them as the general public becomes aware of Bush's actual crimes in office.

The old "we can't put America through a trial trauma" will surface again, and Ford's death will allow them to resurrect the old canard that the President should skate on any possible criminal charges.

[WI_DEM]

33. This has been the standard line for years that he helped heal the land

Carter acknowledged as much in his inagural address in his first line, "For myself and for our nation I would like to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land." I don't think history is being rewritten. When a president dies, any president--even Nixon, they tend to concentrate on the positives rather than the negatives. Give history and historians more credit. They won't rubber stamp Ford's presidency. They will point out the positives as well as the negatives.

[fishwax]

36. Yes, but it would be *disrespectful* to question that decision now

I mean, the man is dead :eyes:

[bobthedrummer]

38. And that revision is made possible by the most powerful propaganda

system of all human history, utilized by the BFEE.

They are quite open and proud of it, they don't give a hoot about reality, and some Dems use its services too.

"Reality vs. perception management..."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x71919