Gerald Ford and our bad dreams

When President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon I was as livid as anyone I knew — but I now think, after listening to various historical accounts this week, that (a) there was if not a deal at least an understanding, but (b) getting Nixon out of the picture served the country better, immediately and in the long run, than letting the thing go on and on.

You could say that Nixon got petty punishment for what was, after all, a really petty crime. On the other hand, what could be worse than being forced to give up the presidency in shame?

Nixon somewhat remade himself but was never again in a position to really affect US wellbeing.

So, good call by President Gerald Ford!

Now, if he had only told us back in 2004 what he thought about the Bush administration’s Iraq decisions, maybe he could have helped shorten another long national nightmare.