IN THE NEWS
It seems that, as difficult it was to describe Gerald Ford's role in modern American history while he was alive, the obituary writers seem to be having an easier time. From the very brief to the more comprehensive, most describe him fairly as a luckless custodian President for a few difficult years, who (among other things) kept US foreign policy during the post-Vietnam phase of the Cold War on track.
However, I haven't seen much mention of what he did after he left office. Ford's post-presidential life may not have had the scope and energy of Jimmy Carter's, but he definitely did more in the public eye than his fellow Republican ex-presidents. That's not damning with faint praise. That one more thing was, in hindsight, a nobler effort than it may have seemed at the time.
Several years ago (I'm still trying to find the exact dates), former Presidents Ford and Carter went on a joint speaking tour. Their goal was to emphasize that, while Republicans and Democrats had much legitimate disagreement, public debate was devolving into an ugly shouting match. This symbolic but important statement occurred long before the awful recent years of rhetorical wilding.
Ford's disagreements with the Bush Administration over the Iraq War are, perhaps, less important in hindsight than his efforts to maintain decency and balance in American politics. How the scales of historical judgment swing--the man who pardoned Nixon, or the man who helped the country shake off Nixonism--I couldn't say.
Ford also served (with Carter) on the commission that looked at the failures of the American systems of voting and vote-counting. I believe he served on some other bipartisan commissions, as well.
That their more partisan officeholding successors often fail to heed the commissioners' advice should not detract from the good will of these elder statesmen who offer their services.
Posted by: MSS | 12/29/2006 at 15:07