califdreamer
Recycles dryer sheets
He seemed to be the right guy at the right time. What do you remember about Nixon's resignation, Ford taking over, the pardon, etc.?
lazygood4nothinbum said:wasn't he the guy who used to trip all the time?
lazygood4nothinbum said:wasn't he the guy who used to trip all the time?
jeff2006 said:I remember the Ford administration quite well. Not a good period of US history. But Ford was a good man, and a true public servant. He deserves our thanks and our respect, IMHO.
peggy said:Later in college as we discussed Watergate in my political science class, my professor said something that has stuck with me all these years -- he said that President Ford *had* to pardon President Nixon to help the country get past Watergate, but it was political suicide to do so.
bosco said:Ok, I'll bite. I've heard this sentiment expressed several times today by talking heads, but nobody has explained to me why Ford *had* to pardon Nixon. Once Nixon resigned, impeachment was moot. Ford could have just let the criminal courts take their course and been univolved.
I'm sure it was just a coincidence that Rumsfeld was Ford's chief of staff and later SECDEF (for the first time). I'm sure there's no conspiracy there, even if this guy named Cheney was one of Rumsfeld's up & coming protegés.bosco said:Ok, I'll bite. I've heard this sentiment expressed several times today by talking heads, but nobody has explained to me why Ford *had* to pardon Nixon.
I bet it had a lot to do with which party was controlling the House & Senate at the time, and who had files on whom. Compared to Nixon, Clinton was a fresh-faced newbie. No wonder he wasted his time screwing around in the Oval Office instead of drinking himself into a coma like the real presidents used to.bosco said:So....why did Nixon *have* to be pardoned for the numerous and substantial things he did, but Clinton *have* to persecuted to the fullest extent of the law for lying about a bj? If it was really about healing and reconciliation, then....? BTW, I think Clinton's impeachment was ludicrous, but let him stand trial for perjury as a citizen.
No problem, the election was in 1976 so your vote would've missed the deadline anyway... although if there's anything worse than letting a congressperson win a presidential election, it's letting a nuclear submariner win one!bosco said:For the record, I supported Ford in the 1978 election (although I wasn't a US citizen yet at that time so I couldn't vote).
bosco said:Ok, I'll bite. I've heard this sentiment expressed several times today by talking heads, but nobody has explained to me why Ford *had* to pardon Nixon.
bosco said:Ok, I'll bite. I've heard this sentiment expressed several times today by talking heads, but nobody has explained to me why Ford *had* to pardon Nixon. Once Nixon resigned, impeachment was moot. Ford could have just let the criminal courts take their course and been univolved. All the pardon did, IMO, is reinforce the notion that the president is above the law. Given the current occupant of the White House, maybe it wasn't such a good message to send.
So....why did Nixon *have* to be pardoned for the numerous and substantial things he did, but Clinton *have* to persecuted to the fullest extent of the law for lying about a bj? If it was really about healing and reconciliation, then....? BTW, I think Clinton's impeachment was ludicrous, but let him stand trial for perjury as a citizen.
For the record, I supported Ford in the 1978 election (although I wasn't a US citizen yet at that time so I couldn't vote). I have nothing against Ford--I figure the pardon was just typically partisan stuff, no better or worse than the pardons Clinton dealt out before he left office. Just more high-profile. But, since Nixon appointed Ford, it certainly had the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Cut-Throat said:Yes, Clinton may have got a **** ***, but did this really hurt the country
Cut-Throat said:... or are you just envious?
Cut-Throat said:No Problem!
REWahoo! said:Hey, waitaminnit!That looks a lot like option 2 wearing lipstick...
Cut-Throat said:Then you are blind my friend!
In the South they say "eatin ain't cheatin." Clinton never liedHFWR said:I did not have sex with that woman...
But she did give me a world-class hummer...