Former President Gerald Ford never made my favorite presidents' list, but his term in office is due a significant amount of respect (IMHO). President Nixon had resigned and Vice-President Agnew was not around due to other scandals. History may question Ford's pardon of Nixon's crimes and the political suicide that one act probably caused, but Ford's rise to power was no accident.
What Ford's appearance in the oval office proved to the country is that the system works. The nation was in turmoil over Viet Nam and an executive office that was in disarray...yet the transition of power happened without violent public revolt or military intervention. Ford took the reins and took care of business. Agree with the man or not, President Ford did a job that those who were elected to do couldn't seem to complete.
On behalf of this one Baptist, I am grateful for President Ford's service. I would echo the words of Betty Ford, "His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country." May he rest in peace.
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Thank you. As Gerald Ford has noted in interviews, he had no political aspirations to be president (or, for that matter, vice-president) but he accepted the call to serve. Often forgotten is the fact that Ford had been a very distinguished member and leader in the House of Representatives; he was well-prepared for the challenges of the office, and I think his knowledge of the way politics works led to his decision to pardon Nixon.
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