The Really Late President Ford

While President Ford lies in state in the nation’s capitol this week, the news
media will busy itself doing what it does best; creating a palatable piece for
your consumption. Suddenly Ford’s pardon of Nixon’s participation in the
Watergate crimes is being referred to as his “healing of the nation“, his
interpretations these days, these veneers collapse under even the lightest of
interpretations these days, these veneers collapse under even the lightest of
scrutiny.
scrutiny.

   In his much ballyhooed interview with President Bush’s favorite he-loves-me-
he-loves-me-not reporter, Bob Woodward, President Ford admitted that it was
his personal relationship with Nixon that resulted in his decision to
pardon him, "I looked upon him (Nixon) as my personal friend,” “ I always
treasured our relationship. And I had no hesitancy about granting the pardon,
because I felt that we had this relationship and that I didn't want to see my
real friend have the stigma," Ford told Woodward in a taped interview
recorded in 2004. Not a lot there about nation-healing.
mass destruction as justification for the invasion saying, "And now, I've never
mass destruction as justification for the invasion saying, "And now, I've never
publicly said I thought they made a mistake, but I felt very strongly it was an
error in how they should justify what they were going to do." To those who still
believe we are in Iraq on some mission of mercy to spread freedom around
believe we are in Iraq on some mission of mercy to spread freedom around

the globe Ford adds, "And I just don't think we should go hellfire damnation
around the globe freeing people, unless it is directly related to our own
national security." Too true. It’s unfortunate however that Ford refused to
have his words known at the time of the interview in 2004, when his words
might have had some effect, opting instead to speak them in an embargoed
interview that would not become public until his death. Too little too late.
   The same is true of Ford’s latent support for the LGBT community. When an
assassination attempt on the president’s life was thwarted by a gay man,
Oliver “Bill” Sipple, Ford stood by while the White House denied the usual
expressions of gratitude afforded such heroism: a White House invite, or
commendation. Many believed the lack of acknowledgement to be based on
the fact that Sipple was a gay man. Later, when Sipple was embroiled in
lawsuits with those publications that outed him, Ford remained silent.
It is true however, that towards the end of his life, Ford did support equal
rights for the LGBT community believing that the Republican Party “has to
have an umbrella philosophy if it expects to win elections.” Ford said in a
2001 interview in the Detroit News. He went on to say that gays ought to have
the same exact rights as heterosexuals. Like Harry S. Truman before him,
it seems homophobia dies off as politicians reach the ends of their lives. To
little, too late.
   Let’s face it, President Ford was a likeable enough man. But his
finest hour had nothing to do with Watergate, his tacit opinions on Iraq, and
certainly not his gay rights legacy. I think his finest moments were the hours
he spent entertaining us on Saturday nights, drooling his drinking water and
falling head-first over a rostrum. But I may be confusing him with Chevy Chase.