Why I'll Miss Gerald Ford

I was 13 years old when Gerald Ford became President of the United States. As a teenager, I thought he was a caretaker President, but he was much more than that. Ford was a no-frills national steward, an incredibly honest, decent, and unpretentious politician whose lodestar was the best interest of the people he served.

Ford took office on August 9, 1974, a time of unprecedented political polarization in the U.S. The American involvement in Vietnam had recently ended, a bitterly dividing experience compounded by the discovery of widespread criminal activity in the White House. Yet those bitter divisions pale in comparison with the hyperpartisanship of early 21st century America. That's why so many, myself included, are deeply moved by President Ford's recent passing. He reminds us of a time when doing the right thing was more important than winning.

Many Americans were outraged when Ford pardoned Nixon. It seemed like Nixon was above the law, and people suspected that Ford's clemency was part of a resignation-pardon deal. Nothing could have been farther from the truth, but the pardon cost Ford the 1976 election.

A 2004 documentary, "Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment With History," now being reshown on PBS stations, contains footage of the former President from 2000 explaining why he pardoned Nixon. Mr. Ford said that, prior to the pardon, he was spending a quarter of his time meeting with lawyers to discuss Richard Nixon. Ford wanted to focus on America's problems, not Nixon's. Announcing the pardon on national television, Ford said that he wanted to "bind the nation's wounds."

As Vice President, Ford had been slow to acknowledge President Nixon's Watergate culpability. Nixon was a personal friend, and Ford a team player. But once he became President, it was very important to Ford that Nixon accept responsibility for his misdeeds. On a December 31, 2006 appearance on "Meet The Press," Bob Woodward said that during the early days of his presidency, Ford had his lawyer visit Nixon to tell the disgraced President about U.S. v. Burdick, a Supreme Court case equating resignation with admission of guilt.

Many people who were outraged by the pardon in 1974 now believe that Ford's decision was correct, even hyperpartisan Senator Ted Kennedy, who publicly stated his change of heart five years ago.

As President, Ford put a shaky U.S. economy on an even keel. Inflation and unemployment fell during his term. A high point occured in 1975 when, with limited use of military force, he freed an aircraft carrier crew held captive by Cambodian communists.

Yet Ford continued to be bashed by the media, sometimes playfully, sometimes viciously. Chevy Chase made hay of Ford's klutz image in "Saturday Night Live" skits. The reputation was undeserved.

According to a December 27, 2006 front page New York Times obituary, Ford was an all-American football center at the University of Michigan and was offered pro contracts by the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. As a young officer aboard an aircraft carrier duing World War II, Ford was nearly swept overboard during a typhoon but held on and saved a group of trapped shipmates. He was also an accomplished skiier and golfer. But a stumble getting off Air Force One and an errant shot at a golf tournament cemented his reputation for clumsiness.

A fiscal conservative, President Ford refused Governor Hugh Carey and Mayor Abe Beame's request for a $1 billion credit line for near-bankrupt New York City in 1975. Ford's decision resulted in the infamous New York Daily News headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead", even though Ford never made or suggested that outrageous statement.

Ford spent twenty-five years in Congress, eight of them as House Minority Leader. Although he never wrote any major legislation, he got along well with members of both parties, and his requests were usually honored. His dream was to be House Speaker, but that hope was slim because of consistently solid Democratic majorities. It was dashed when he was tapped to become Nixon's Vice President in 1973 following the resignation of Spiro Agnew.

President Lyndon Johnson, miffed about Minority Leader Ford's thwarting some legislation in Congress, once cracked that Ford had played too many games without a helmet. But Ford was graduated from Yale Law School in the top third of his class, a distinction he earned while coaching football and boxing to help pay tuition. Still, the blockhead image stuck.

According to the PBS documentary, Ford wasn't Nixon's first Vice Presidential choice. Nixon really wanted Ronald Reagan but was told that Reagan was too conservative to be confirmed by the Senate. Nixon also considered Nelson Rockefeller but was advised that Rockefeller was too liberal.

In the New York Times obituary, Ford is quoted as saying that when he became President, the U.S. government was more paralyzed than at any time since Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office. Although he lacked Lincoln's oratorical gifts, Ford shared many qualities with Honest Abe.

Both men were virile, athletic, Midwesterners. They were accomplished politicians, yet pure of character, a combination virtually extinct today. The PBS documentary notes that Ford adopted the values of his stepfather, whose motto was, "work hard, be honest, and come to dinner on time."

Like Lincoln, Ford eschewed pomp and ceremony. His obituary notes that he called enlisted men "sir." Ever the healer, he favored leniency toward Vietnam-era draft dodgers. And, like Lincoln, he wasn't appreciated until after he was gone from office.

Both Ford and Lincoln rose above politics during an unprecedented national crisis. They did what they thought was best for America, not their popularity. They had a strong sense of self, yet were selfless.

However, unlike Lincoln, Ford's speaking style was rather stiff and uninspired. He was known for many slips of the tongue, a trait shared by both Bushes. During a 1976 Presidential debate with Jimmy Carter, Ford made the risible remark that "there is no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe."

But Presidential quality isn't measured by the ability to turn a phrase. It's about deeds and character. The older I get, the more wary I am of charming personalities. Carter was a charmer, and like many Americans, I believed he would make a great President. But he turned out to be incompetent. Bill Clinton, the best speaker to occupy the Oval Office in the last half-century, was a moral cretin scarred by impeachment.

Ford lacked the innovation of FDR, the excitement of JFK, and the avuncular quality of Reagan. Yet, in his understated way, he exuded a salt-of-earth decency that is sorely missing from today's political landscape. Gerald Ford bound up the nation's wounds and freed us from the shadow of Watergate. He was a reluctant President but did his job admirably under the most difficult of circumstances. And he took care of us all.