Because you're all dying to hear what I have to say about Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon:
Here's the thing. Promoting "healing" and a sense of "moving on" was, in fact, arguably more important than seeing Richard Nixon spend years in a jail cell. But there's a proper way to handle situations of that type designed to promote precisely those goals. It's the Truth and Reconciliation Commission model where ancien regime figures confess to their political crimes in exchange for amnesty. The general idea is that such an arrangement does more to promote actual resolution of the issues than would an adversarial trial process in which the accused have the incentive to destroy evidence, deny everything, and stymie investigations.
That's not at all what Ford did. As you'll read here, he took the bizarre step of granting Nixon "a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from July (January) 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974." Nixon, in response, offered not a confession, but only an extraordinarily vague message of pseudo-contrition:
Looking back on what is still in my mind a complex and confusing maze of events, decisions, pressures and personalities, one thing I can see clearly now is that I was wrong in not acting more decisively and more forthrightly in dealing with Watergate, particularly when it reached the stage of judicial proceedings and grew from a political scandal into a national tragedy.No words can describe the depths of my regret and pain at the anguish my mistakes over Watergate have caused the nation and the presidency -- a nation I so deeply love and an institution I so greatly respect.
I know many fair-minded people believe that my motivations and action in the Watergate affair were intentionally self-serving and illegal. I now understand how my own mistakes and misjudgments have contributed to that belief and seemed to support it. This burden is the heaviest one of all to bear.
That the way I tried to deal with Watergate was the wrong way is a burden I shall bear for every day of the life that is left to me.
Nixon, in short, confessed to nothing. And Ford -- a member of Nixon's own administration, elevated to the Vice Presidency by Nixon himself -- offered blanket amnesty for unspecified crimes.
What's more, by the time of the pardon it had become clear that "Watergate" as such -- a break-in to the Democratic National Committee's headquarters and a subsequent coverup of the involvement of the Committee to Re-Elect the President in the burglary -- was really the least of our Nixon-related concerns. The Watergate incident happens to have been the caper that first led to fruitful investigations of the Nixon administration, but turned out to be merely a small piece of a very large puzzle of abuses of power. Nixon expressed no contrition whatsoever about any of those matters. Nor did Ford in his address to the nation acknowledge that he had just pardoned Nixon not only for "Watergate" but for the whole kit and kaboodle, a series of events whose very occurrences neither Ford nor Nixon even acknowledged.
Consequently, the ostensible goal of the pardon -- national reconciliation -- was simply not achieved. Neither Nixon, Ford, the Republican Party, nor the conservative movement in any of its manifestations acknowledged that the President of the United States had been spear-heading a broad-based criminal conspiracy aimed at suppressing the anti-war movement and other civil society manifestations of opposition to Nixon's policies.
The pardon did, however, achieve its intended purpose of establishing the fiction that there was some particular "Watergate" incident, separate from the overall pattern of Nixonian governance, and limited to a very small roster of personnel.
Comments
well said, and a fair push-back against premature whitewash.
only complaint:
"its intended purpose of establishing the fiction that there was some particular "Watergate" incident"
having followed events quite closely throughout '72-'74, i can tell you that this 'fiction' was already very well established, and was not measurably altered by the pardon. i don't think that was its effect or its intended purpose.
I saw an interview with Ford some years later where he made the point that, basically, he'd found himself in the position of literally spending 2-6 hours a day on matters pertaining to Richard Nixon and he didn't think that anything short of a war was worth that much of a President's time. I thought when I read the interview that, if he'd said that at the time ("Richard Nixon isn't worth that much of my time"), then he might have won the election.
Of course the Nixonian wing of the party would never have forgiven him...
And as digby notes, it set a precedent for future pardons in much more egregious circumstances: pardons that allow scum like Elliot Abrams to continue to darken American politics today. That said, looking back at 1974 may encourage an important discussion on the kind of pardons that Dubya might scribble out in January 2009.
The Wise People Of Washington who describe the blanket pardon as a way to move forward are those who don't want people looking too hard at the run-up to war in Iraq, but didn't mind Ken Starr's salacious rifling. Funny, that.
Admittedly, it's problematic to graft the T&R Commission model onto events two decades before its inception, but plea bargains or qualified amnesties are very much American in spirit.
Bingo. Ford's legacy. IOKIYAR becomes the Holy Writ of American politics
Neither Nixon, Ford, the Republican Party, nor the conservative movement in any of its manifestations acknowledged that the President of the United States had been spear-heading a broad-based criminal conspiracy aimed at suppressing the anti-war movement and other civil society manifestations of opposition to Nixon's policies.
Which was exactly the purpose. Had they been forced to make such an acknowledgement, it would have shattered the Rethuglican Party. A lot of people would have had to have been thrown off the sled.
No doubt in my mind that Ford's motives were purely partisan. One only has to look at his record in Congress to see the kind of man he really was. And as president, he vetoed an expansion of the FOIA. Not a very nice man at all.
But as vile and unprincipled as he was, isn't it amazing that by Rethuglican standards he is as pure as the driven snow? I mean, he really was one of the best of them.
Nixon didn't want to resign. "The Final Days" show Nixon's advisors pondering how to pierce his unwillingness to change course.
If Ford's promise of a pardon was the necessary impetus for Nixon's resignation -- would you still oppose it?
I believe Hell would freeze over before Nixon would get up in front of a Truth Commission and admit any kind of wrongdoing. He's not that kind of guy.
If Ford's promise of a pardon was the necessary impetus for Nixon's resignation -- would you still oppose it?
Oh, sure. Impeachment is a rare thing, but shouldn't be so rare that it's more inconceivable than, say, invading another country. And the US could do with the historical example of a president who dares stand against the constitution and suffers the consequences.
You are blaming the wrong person for not holding a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission." It was Congress, not the President, who had the power to do this. Congress could have held an investigation and called Nixon as a witness to events during his Presidency. Since Nixon had received a full pardon, he would not have been able to refuse to testify on Fifth Amendment grounds, and his pardon would not have given him immunity from perjury charges if he had subsequently lied to Congress. Even if Nixon himself could not be held accountable, the actions of other members of his Administration would be exposed.
Lou, nixon was going to be impeached and found guilty if he hadn't resigned....
A "Truth and Reconcilliation" style inquiry would have been a better approach than Ford's blanket pardon, and I second Keith's comment that COngress should have taken the lead on such an inquiry.
However, I note that Watergate was over 20 years before the South Africa commission. I am not familiar with any example of such a commission prior to 1995. It is hard to fault those in the 1970's who lacked the foresight to invent such an inquiry.
It was Congress, not the President, who had the power to do this
Keith - Thank you for saying this first.
It was the same lack of courage shown by the congress in 1992 when they dropped the Iran Contra issue after Poppy pardoned Cappy and the Gang.
You can't blame Ford for this one. Sorry.
Hopefully someone with a (D) after their name will remember this particular lesson over the next few years.
Neither Nixon, Ford, the Republican Party, nor the conservative movement in any of its manifestations acknowledged that the President of the United States had been spear-heading a broad-based criminal conspiracy aimed at suppressing the anti-war movement and other civil society manifestations of opposition to Nixon's policies.
Awfully broad claims, here, Matt.
I believe there is widespread agreement throughout the poltical spectrum -- which by definition includes plenty of conservatives -- that Nixon was a deeply flawed figure who engaged in widespread criminal abuses. No doubt there exists the occassional tinfoil-hat wearing right-winger, living under a rock somewhere, who thinks somehow Nixon was a victim of liberal conspiracy. But is this view widespread? I think not. I think most Americans who know anything at all about the subject, and almost all conservatives and Republicans included in this category, acknowledge that Richard Nixon's conduct as president was truly, deeply shameful. Moreover, most people realize he got off lightly. It's just that some of us think the country was better off being spared another several years of painful public spectacle for the purpose of reaching a legal verdict when history was perfectly capable of providing one.
jasper, it's not that long ago that trent lott, who as a member of the house judiciary committee voted against recommending impeachment for nixon, voted to convict clinton in his impeachment, and no one even asked him to explain.
methinks you are a little optimistic about the willingness of right-wingers to admit anything....
It was Congress, not the President, who had the power to do this.
Why didn't Congress investigate? Anybody know?
The absolute presidential pardon power is very authoritarian. I've always felt it clashed with the rest of the checks and balances system.
Damn Alexander Hamilton.
As Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg stated in her "Profiles in Courage for a New Century" and then her uncle Ted stated when presenting Gerry Ford with that award.....
"I was one of those who spoke out against his action then. But time has a way of clarifying past events, and now we see that President Ford was right. His courage and dedication to our country made it possible for us to begin the process of healing and put the tragedy of Watergate behind us. He eminently deserves this award, and we are proud of his achievement".
http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs/Profile+in+Courage+Award/Award+Recipients/Gerald+Ford/Remarks+by+Senator+Edward+M.+Kennedy.htm
Knowing that this decision was unpopular (it cost him his press secretary) yet still doing so - however unwisely it might seem - tells me that he was thinking of something besides his own bacon. It's hard to think of the current White House resident being able to do that.
I feel certain Gerald Ford did any number of bad things under the radar, but since I'm largely ignorant of what those things may have been I'm going to praise him for the being the man to do least in office since Calvin Coolidge, and doing practically nothing is better than doing what most presidents do a lot of - which is bad.
Also, colds suck.
But at least it isn't August.
As a wise man once said, summer colds are the worst.
Why didn't Congress investigate? Anybody know?
Congress did investigate. Hearings were held in the summer of 1973. My memory's a bit faint as to whether or not they extended into '74. But lots of shocking revelations came to light (enemy lists and so forth). The press aggressively brought many details to light, as well. Perhaps by the time Nixon left office Congressional Democrats simply felt we knew enough, and no further investigation was warranted.
I sent the following to Josh Marshall but seems appropriate to share here
+++++++++++++++++++++
I browse frequently but rarely comment but I need to get this off my chest.
I was thirty when President Ford pardoned Nixon. In one stroke, Ford nullified all his former and future good deeds. Just when we thought politics had reached its lowest and we had finally turned the corner, Ford made his announcement. The public rolled their eyes and realized it was business as usual. I liked Ford but I could never trust him after that act. Carter was elected as much on the anybody-but-Ford platform as for anything else he stood for. In retrospect, I do give credit to Ford for doing much good but I will never forget how he wasted the opportunity to bridge the vast political divide that existed in in this country.
Google Chapter 28 of the Walsh Report and you'll find that the main person GHW Bush was protecting was GHW Bush. He escaped the Iran Contra episode with an undamaged reputation, mostly because he succeeded in withholding key information from Walsh.
Poppy Bush was not an adventurist or a fantasist, but to me he was a deeply sinister guy.
Not to be a complete jerk (or maybe to be a complete jerk but not especially care; isn't it more impolite to talk nasty about someone when they're still alive, and can like hear it and stuff?), how exactly was Professor Ford - as the Guardian put it - a "force for reconciliation"?
Didn't something like 3/4 of the American people think Nixon was a shit by the time Ford took office? Honestly, with the exception of maybe Hitler sucked yes or no and liquor makes you feel nice true or false there are few things I gather Americans at the time could agree about. Why do you need "reconciliation" when almost everyone more or less thinks the same thing?
If the "reconcliation" was between people and government wasn't that special little moment something like an abject failure? Faith and trust in government declined in succeeding years and decades. As I recall (and to be sure I was more concerned with which Thtar Wars action figures I might acquire at the time than what some old douchebags might do in Washington) Mr. Reagan ran against government in 1980, and like totally won.
I don't know of many conservatives (although there are some, chiefly ex-employees like Buchanan and Stein) who still admire or defend Nixon. Furthermore, they often seem eager to point out the generally accurate fact that Nixon was not very conservative. This contrasts with Iran-Contra where they are eager to defend a conservative hero (or more accurately, eager to ignore the issue).
actually, congress did investigate, in rather great detail, starting with the ervin committee hearings ("what did the president know and when did he know it?") and including the exemplary work of the rodino judiciary committee and leon jaworski (something no one will ever say about the hyde judiciary committee and ken starr, that's for damn sure). there was a very detailed record of exactly what crimes nixon committed: that's why the judiciary committee vote to recommend impeachment was strongly bipartisan; that's why the house was ready to impeach, and the general consensus at the time was that the senate would have convicted somewhere between 80-20 and 85-15.
so i'm not sure what, exactly, the congress was still supposed to have "investigated." even today, anyone who wants can familiarize themselves with the record (tony lukas' book, whose title escapes me, was always my favorite).
Matt, you're a smart guy. I always enjoy learning from you.
Your arguments are almost always seamless.
There never was any "healing" or "reconciliation." Only justice heals, and we never got any.
People like Matt don't understand anything but their own class privelage. Healing was far less important than justice, it always is. Without justice, there can never be any real healing. what you call "healing", wasn't healing at all. It was an attempt by men of your class to excuse one of their friends from treason and sedition. You would never have accepted a pardon for a "lesser" person.
The fact of the matter is, without that pardon there wouldn't have been an Iraq War. There wouldn't have been an Iran contra. Every President from that Nixon on would have known that actions have consequences and that they can't hide their criminality behind their office. It set a terrible precident, which has allowed the media to ignore the sins of every Republican since, in the interest of "healing". They don't call bullshit on Reagan, or on Bush, because of that pardon. They just don't see a point.
This post is long on the Monday morning-quarterbacking, and short of any concept of what was happening in 1974 and what Ford was facing as President. Also, equating the crimes of Nixon over six years with the 50-year system of Apartheid is a bit much. Also, calling Nixon, the man who declared we are all Keynsians now, opposed quite noisily in National Review, and was chased from office, ultimately, by Barry Goldwater, is a bit lacking in historical nuance.
What was Ford facing in 1974, when he decided he had to close out the whole Nixon problem?
* Stagflation and high unemployment
* the end of Vietnam
* an increased assertiveness by the USSR.
The mid-70s wasn't just Soul Train and really bad clothes. It was an economic disaster zone, caused in part by Nixon's really bad economics, the oil embargos, really poisonous partisanship (the legacy of Vietnam and the domestic spying conducted by Nixon), and general inattention to governance during the last year of Nixon.
Ford was not wrong in feeling this somehow had to stop. The pardon was his way of doing it. And he paid a real political price for doing it. Congress, which was as Democratic as it ever would be during this era, had ample opportunity to examine everything in excrutiating detail. There were hearings on the Nixon Pardon, and Ford famously appeared as a witness.
Yet this didn't happen. Has our host ever thought why?
There are arguments that the pardon was counterproductive. Certainly, it allowed folks to trot out every conspiracy theory under the sun, and it allowed Nixon to rehabilitate himself, instead of disappear into permanent disgrace. Also, the precedent set has not been well used, though I notice that Bush I and Clinton used the pardon late in their Presidency, rather than have the guts to use it before an election. (The GOP got killed in 1974, and the pardon was a reason). But Ford's reason for the pardon was a reasonable one, and sometimes, a President has to make a tough decision based on the alternatives available and known to him.
The original post and many of the comments are pretty anachronistic: as Jim points out, "truth and reconciliation" hadn't been invented in the 70's. If well and deeply done, the truth and reconciliation process seems much better than "justice" as a way to dissolve hurt, hate, resentment and revenge without inciting another cycle of same. Too bad we can't clone Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.
So, uh, now that we all agree that "healing" and "moving on" is MUCH more important than enforcing the law or holding people accountable if they do something wrong, when do we abolish the court system?
Or does the "healing" and "moving on" stuff only apply to those at the top of the social pecking order?
I swear, some of the idiotic comments from progressives on this make me want to vote GOP in 2008. Since you guys love Republicans so much, let's give you all the Republicans you can handle and then some.
Pray tell, how was the then Soviet Union "more assertive" in the mid-70's? That is the line the neocons, in their earliest incarnation, pushed upon us, and it was just as wrong then as it is now.
So, uh, now that we all agree that "healing" and "moving on" is MUCH more important than enforcing the law or holding people accountable if they do something wrong, when do we abolish the court system?
Why would you make this comment with respect to Gerald Ford's pardoning Nixon? The whole Watergate scandal was one big civics lesson on how even the most powerful man in the land is not above the law. Nixon, after all, was indicted by the House of Representatives, and faced sure conviction by the Senate. In the end the American people removed him from office. If that's not an example of "holding people accountable" I don't know what is.
jasper, just to keep the historic record straight: the judiciary committee recommended impeachment with 3 articles. nixon resigned before the house voted on the recommendation, so he was not "indicted by the House of Representatives," although as i noted at 11:11 p.m., you're right that he would have been, and he would have been convicted.
actually, congress did investigate, in rather great detail, starting with the ervin committee hearings ("what did the president know and when did he know it?") and including the exemplary work of the rodino judiciary committee and leon jaworski
Sorry, my comment was unclear. I meant, why didn't Congress do anything after Nixon resigned? As was pointed out above, after the pardon, especially, Nixon would have been forced to answer all of Congress's questions. Now, though, we're left with a somewhat murky record about Nixon's culpability. I would have thought that, even just to complete the historical record, Congress would have sought Nixon's testimony about what he did or did not do.
jasper, just to keep the historic record straight...
Howard: thanks for the clarification.
well, al, now we're entirely in the realm of speculation, but i think apalled moderate at 10:00 a.m. is onto the heart of the reason why.
if your only experience of impeachment is the hyde farce, it may be tough to understand just how strong the emotions were that were stirred by the nixon impeachment. it took a long time before people could understand that: a.) the watergate break-in was not an isolated incident; b.) nixon was perfectly prepared to lie about covering up the plumbers. the revelations were wrenching and, for the time, all-consuming. (today, when a disappearing white teenage girl can command the same attention that the impeachment of nixon once did, it's hard to imagine, i know.)
therefore, given that the historic record was clear about nixon's crimes, and given that if there had been a quid-pro-quo for ford becoming president very few wanted to know about it, and given that economic conditions were deterioarating with no attention being given whatsoever, i think the congressional consensus was to let sleeping dogs lie.
PS. the Lukas book whose name i couldn't recall last night was "Nightmare: the underside of the nixon years," and if you want a thorough account of both nixon's criminality and the nixon imeachment, that remains an excellent go-to source.
PPS. Jasper, no problem!
"I think most Americans who know anything at all about the subject, and almost all conservatives and Republicans included in this category, acknowledge that Richard Nixon's conduct as president was truly, deeply shameful."
With the exception of George Will and perhaps a few others, I don't ever recall a convservative speaking ill of Nixon on moral, ethical, or personal grounds. They criticize him for detente, EPA, going to China, price controls, and all the like. But they never condemn him for his deep, abiding, and abject criminality. Hell, Michael Barone has spent the past decade trying to convince the country that Nixon was a good man who only got chased out of office by all of those hateful and America-hating liberals and reporters. (Read his preposterous U.S. News cover story on Nixon from around 2000 or 2001.) Or take a gander at Rick Perlstein's excellent talk at some conservative shindig last year, where one prominent winger -- no doubt echoing the views of his fellow travelers -- declared "I didn't like Nixon until Watergate."
People are acting as if this all happened in a vaccuum. Lots of people, including the Attorney General, went to jail. There were many criminal trials of all the underlings and justice, in a major way, WAS served.
The thing is, Watergate dominated the news and the nation's consciousness for 2 years, and the way I remember it, everyone was played out and just generally sick of the whole thing. The major factor was accomplished - we got rid of Nixon and his whole darkness and Imperial delusion. And we wanted to, and needed to, turn to other things. A Nixon trial would have dragged the drama on for years afterward - why put the country through that. I hated Ford for what he had done with the pardon, but then a strange thing happened. About 6 weeks later, Nixon suddenly needed emergency surgery for a life-threatening phlebitis episode, and he was suddenly in the news again. And it occurred to me - After August 9, he HAD disappeared from the stage and the nation was rid of him. It was this weird blast from the past, even though it had only been 2 months, when he was suddenly in the news again with his health issues. After Nixon and his scandals 24/7 for years, it was a complete breath of fresh air that he wasn't in the spotlight anymore, and I realized that I, and everyone else, had indeed moved on - and the only thing that did that was the pardon - otherwise the whole drama would have continued playing out and we would have continued living it for the next couple of years.
It's easy to be enraged in the abstract now, and talk about the need for "justice" if you didn't go through it. But after August 1974, we, as a nation, were exhausted and traumatized. We had won - we got rid of the guy. He didn't dominate our lives any more. Believe me - in the scheme of things, that proved to be enough. In law, a cause of action can only be brought if one is damaged and one seeks a remedy. Very few people were actually personally damaged by Nixon in the "cause of action" sense. But for the damage he did to the nation as a whole, just getting rid of the guy so we could move on was remedy enough. It really was exhausting
Andy--just anecdotally, remembering my own reaction at the time: I was 17-18 during Watergate. I despised Nixon. I watched the hearings intently, with a sense of awe at history unfolding before my eyes. I remember the sense of amazement, almost disbelief at seeing the "Nixon Resigns" headline in the NYTimes. Kept my copy of it for years.
Funny thing is, I have virtually no recollection of the pardon. I suppose I thought it was a cop-out, and maybe it's just because it didn't surprise me, but it really made no lasting impression compared to everything else. So I guess that fits with your sense of feeling like it was old business by then.
Here's a thought as to why: your sense that two months later it was a shock to hear about Nixon at all is a clue. The pardon was necessary to get the presidency, finally, away from Nixon. More months of trials and investigations would have kept it squarely in his sweaty, criminal hands, maybe even taking it with him right into a criminal cell somewhere. I'm speaking of it in an emotional or symbolic sense obviously. We felt like we'd exposed the sick old bastard for what he was and now it was our right to forget about him and try to recover one of the chief symbols of our national identity--our presidency, not his--that had taken so many body blows since the JFK assassination forward.
I'm sympathetic to the argument that it was a mistake. The Imperial Presidency has come back with a vengeance and maybe it couldn't have if more of the nixonian vileness had been laid out for the rats and buzzards to pick at. But I think we also needed to try and hold on to a few shreds of the national mystique, and Nixon wasn't worth the further damage it was going to do to follow it through to the bitter end. Better to send him off into obscurity.
If only he and the rest of his wrecking crew would have stayed there.
Ford did use the "this is taking too much of my time" argument at the time of the pardon and during the 1976 campaign, not just years afterwards. I remember him saying it quite frequently as one of his main rationales for the pardon.
Of course, the argument doesn't hold a bit of water. All a president has to say is "don't bother me about this again!"
>Of course, the argument doesn't hold a bit of water. All a president has to say is "don't bother me about this again!"
Interesting take, Virginia. So the President doesn't have to concern himself with any legal proceedings that he is a party to, just by saying so. If only Clinton had realized that legal fact, everything would have turned out so much better. Well, perhaps W. will get it right.
By the time 1976 rolled around, "It was taking too much of my time" was a stale excuse. If he'd said it at the time of the pardon, it might have played better.
I remember a poll that was taken at the time of the pardon, which violated every stricture about poll question formulation. It asked, "Do you think Nixon has 'suffered enough?'" Something like 60% answered "No."
That's vengeance talking, and while it's understandable, and even forgivable, people might reflect on how well it serves a nation to follow policies of vengeance, an emotion that often gets its targets confused, oh, wait, here I am talking as if events of 30 years ago might have some general lessons to teach about current events, and that can't be right, can it?
This is exactly why this congress can't just let this lie, although there are a lot of here-and-now issues they've got to tackle, chiefly extricating our troops from Iraq and starting to provide some oversight of the corrupt and incompetent administration. As painful as it may be, and it certainly will be, this assault by the Republican Party on the very fabric of our democracy has to be investigated and the perpetrators permanently expunged from public office, no matter where it leads and no matter who suffers. I don't what's happened in the past 6 years to be happening again 10 years from now because a criminal president recycles the present group of thugs into the administration.
And if it permanently destroys the republican party, so much the better. It's shown that it doesn't care about America, at least as most of us define it.
You'd think he was Ghandi, judging from the media frothing over his "decency" and "healing" abilities.
But before anyone mistakes Ford's giving a blanket pardon to Nixon for a selfless desire to "heal" the nation rather than a self-serving quid pro quo pact with his sure to be impeached pal, let's read the explanation that Ford himself gave for it.
Since he demanded that the explanatory interview, with Bob Woodward, be kept secret until he was safely dead, it is only now that good Americans may read Ford's own explanation of why he gave Nixon a pass, and let him waltz out of the White House without so much as a "sorry" to the people victimized during Nixon's diseased governance.
Yep, Fordie did a heck of a job, defending and covering up for the indefensible, Richard Nixon, and that is his Real legacy:
"I looked upon him (Nixon) as my personal friend. And 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 Post reporter Bob Woodward.
Ford's remarks, which he asked not be released until his death, add to the rationale for pardoning Nixon a month after he resigned as president in 1974.
Ford had claimed that he issued the pardon to allow the nation to move past Watergate and begin a time of healing, not for personal reasons.
Nixon and Ford had been acquainted since the late 1940s, but the depth of their friendship was not widely known. Nixon confided in Ford and sought his help during the Watergate crisis when Ford was House minority leader, the Post reported.
"I think that Nixon felt I was about the only person he could really trust on the Hill," Ford told Woodward.
He also called himself Nixon's "only real friend."
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061229/UPDATE/61229002
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ayrilik
ayrilik_mesajlari
ayrilik_nefret_mesajlari
aysel_gurmen
aysu
aysu_basar
azerice_canli_radyo
baba_babalar
babalar_gunu_hazir_cep_mesajlari
babalar_gunu_mesajlari
bagimli_muptela
bahis
baliklar
bahama_maldiv_adalari
baliklar_balikcilik
banka
banka_bankalar
banu_alkan
banyo_aksesuarlari
basak_sahin
basketbol
basketbol_basket
bayan_arkadas_ariyorum
bayan_msn
bayanlarla_sesli_sohbet
bayhan_gurhan
bayram_kandil_hazir_cep_mesajlari
bayram_kandil_hazir_cep_mesajlari2
bayram_kartlari
bayram_mesajlari
bayram_slaytlari
bayramin_kutlu_olsun
bebek_resimleri
bedava
bedava_bedavalar
bedava_cep_melodileri_oyunlari
bedava_email
bedava_mp3_yukle
bedava_oyun
bedava_resimli_mesaj
Bedava_melodi_bedava_sms__wap_melodi_cep_melodi_polifonik_melodi_turkcell_melodi_nokia_melodi_logo_cep
bedava_site_bedava_siteler
bedava_sms
bedava_web_sitesi
bedava-melodi
Bedava_melodi_bedava_sms__wap_melodi_cep_melodi_polifonik_melodi_turkcell_melodi_nokia_melodi_logo_cep1
Bedava-Sms
Bedava-ziyaretci-Defteri
begen_begenme_begenenler_begendim_begendiklerim
belediye_hizmetleri
Ben_sana_olurum_sarisinim
bergama_belediye_spor
berksan_ben_hic_unutmadim_unutamam
Berna_Ozturk
besiktas_bjk_mesajlari
beyaz_esya
beyazesya_beyazesyalar
bilet
bilet_biletler
bilgin-egitim-teknolojileri
bilgisayar
bilgisayar_computer
bilgisayar_pc_pcler
bilgisayarda_ses
bir_demet_tiyatro
bir_istanbul_masali
bir_prens_araniyor
bir-istanbul-masali
biten_iliskiler
bitki_bitkiler
bocekler
bocekler_bocek
bolge_bolgeler
bolgeler
borsa
borsa_borsalar
borsa_imkb
britney_spears_erotik
Britney-Spears
bu_sabahlarin_bir_anlami_olmali_mp3
burc_ask_sevgi
burc_burclar
burc-burclar
burclarin_kotu_yonleri
burcu_gunes_mp3_yukle
bu-sabahlarin-bi anlami-olmali-mp3-yukle
buyu_buyuler
buyuculuk
cagla_sikel_resimleri
cakir_kurtlarvadisi
camdan_papuclar
Cameron_Diaz
cankan_yar_yar_sarki_sozleri
cankiri_meslek_yuksek_okulu
canli_skorlar
canli-istek-hatti
capkinlik_kacamaklar
casino
casino_kasinolar
Catherine_Zeta_Jones
cd_cogaltma
cdkey_serial_no
cdler
cdler_cd
cekici_olmak
cem_yilmaz
cem_yilmaz_yeni_reklam_filmi
cep_melodi
cep_siirleri
cep_telefonlari
cep_telefonlari_cep_telefonu
cep_telefonu_icin_wavlar
cep-melodi
cep-telefon
cep-telefonu
ceza_fan_club
cgi_scriptler
chat_odalari
chat_sesli_chat
chat_sohbet
christina_aguilera
cicek_cicekler
Cindy_crawford
cine5_sifre_kirici_yeni
cine5_sifreleri
cinsellik
cinsellik_ask
cinsel-sapkinliklar-travestizm
ciplak_kizlar
ciplak_unluler_foto
citir_kizlar
claudia_schiffer
cnn-turk
cocuklar_cocuklar_icin
cok-komik
cok-ozel-resimler
corn_pictures
counter_strike
crack_cdkey
cs_1_6_full_download
cv_ornekleri
define-madenler
deniz_denizler
deniz_seki
deprem_kandilli
dergi_dergiler
ders_notlari
dershane_dersler
dijital_yayin
dijital-tv-sifreleri
dijiturk_canli_yayin
dilek_dilekler
dini_ekartlar
disk_diskler
diyarbakir_bilim_tip
dizi_diziler
dizi_muzikleri
dizi-muzikleri
dogum_gunu
dogum_gunu_davetiyeler
dogum_gunu_hazir_cep_mesajlari
dogum_gunu_kutlama_mesajlari
dokuzuncu-hariciye-kogusu
donem_odevi
donem-odevi
dost_dostluk
dostluk_hazir_cep_mesajlari
dosya_dosya_paylasimi
doviz_dovuz_kurlari
dowland-murat-kekilli
download
download-fza
duvar_kagitlari
duvar_yazilari
duvar_yazisi
duvar-kagitlari
duzenle
ebru-gundes-indir-dinle
edebiyatla-ilgili-komik-fikralar
efe-hotel
egitim_egitimler
egitim-ogretim
eglence_eglencelik
ehliyet-sinav-sonuclari
ekran_monitor
ekran_ses_kartlari
el_ile_yuklenen_melodiler
elazig_mhp_belediyesi
Electra_Carmen
elektronik-devre-cizim-programi
eleman_elemanlar
elite-turk
Elle-Macpherson
email_e-mailler
emekli_emeklilik
emlak_emlakcilar
ems_logo
en_atesli_taraftar
en-guzel-ask-siirleri
en-hizli-kosan-kus
en-iyi-siteler
ensest
ensest_resimleri
ericson-melodileri
ericson-samsung-cep-telefonlari
erkek_erkekler
erkek-erkekler
erotik_video_klipler
erotik-ask-ve-cinsel-arzular
erotik-hikayeler
erotik-itiraflar
erotik-resimler
erotik-resimler-bayan
erotizm
erotizm-ve-cinsellik
eski-antika-paralar
espri_espriler
Estella-Warren
etek-alti-resimleri
etkileyici-sozler
Eva-Herzigova
evli-kadinlar
evlilik-hazir-cep-mesajlari
ezan-ezanlar
f1-formala-grand
fal-tarot-fallari
fantezi-resimleri
fare-mause
felsefe-kulubu
felsefe-sozlugu
fenerbahce_hazir_cep_mesajlari
fenerbahce-hazir-cep-mesajlari
fikra-komik-fikralar
filiz-akin
film-gibi
fizyoloji
flash
flash_flashlar
flashget-1.65
flash-komikler
flash-swish-yeni
flort
flower-flowers
formula-1
forum_basvurusu
forum-forumlar
free-mp3-download
free-tv
frikik-frikikler
futbol-yorum
galatasaray-hazir-cep-mesaj
game_dos
gazeteler
gazeteler-gazete
gece-yolculari-yeni-mp3
gecmis_olsun_cep_mesajlari
gecmis-olsun-hazir-cep-mesajlari
gelinim-olurmusun
gelinlik_modelleri
gelinlik-modelleri
gem-wk1
gercek-muzikler
gerekli_siteler
gerekli-siteler
geyik_komedi
geyik-ve-otesi
gezi-geziler
gif-gifler
Gisele-Bundchen
giyilmesi-yasak-kisveler
gizli-kamera-frikik-resimleri
gizli-klasor-download
gokyuzu-neden-mavidir
gora-film-replikleri
green-card-turkiye
gta-kurtlar-vadisi
gta-vice-city-yamalar
gulmek-inin-nedenler
gunesin-sicaklik-derecesi
gunluk-guncel-ve gazete
guzel_sozler1
guzeller_galerisi
guzel-mesajlar
haber-borsa
haber-haberler
hakan-toprak
Halle-Berry
hande-yener
harika-avci
harita-haritalar
Harry-Potter-Prisoner-of-Azkaban
hasan-yasar
hatiralar
hatun-hatunlar
hayat-hikayeleri
hayir-hayir-olamaz
hayvan-hayvanlaralemi
hayvan-resimleri
hazir_mesajlar
hazir_mesajlar2
haziran-gecesi
haziran-gecesi-resimleri
Heidi-Klum
hex-renk-kodlari
host-hosting
hulya-avsar
hulya-avsar-resimleri
hz-ali
ibrahim-tatlises
iddaa_canli_maclar
iddaa-bahis
iddaa-iddaa-sonuclari
ilac-fiyatlari
ilahi-mp3ler
ilce-ilceler
ilginc
ilginc-ilginc_resimler
iliski-iliskiler
ilk-bulusma
ilk-ogretim
ingiliz-ingilizce
ingiltere-hotel-fiyatlari
insaat-sirketleri
insan-insanlar
inter-internet
internetten-para-kazanmak
irakta-iskence-fotograflari
irakta-kafa-kesme-goruntuleri
irmak-unal-resimleri
is-search
isimler
isimleri
islami-ilahiler
islam-islamiyet
ismail-yk
is-makinalari
istanbul_cihangir
italyan-yazarlar
itiraf_itiraflar
iyi_yolculuklar_hazir_cep_mesajlari
iyiki_ask_var
izmirin-doga-resimleri
java-javalar
java-sanal-makinasi
java-scriptler
Jennifer-Lopez
Jenny-McCarthy
Joshua-Malina
joyturk
kader-kaderimsin
kadin_moda_bakim
kadin-dogum-kontrolu
kadin-kadinlar
kadinlar_ve_erkekler
kagit-icat
kalp-kazanmak
kalp-resimleri
kandil_mesajlari
kandil-mesajlari
kapadokya
kapi_kolu
karadeniz
kara-kalem-calismalari
karikatur
kart-kartlar
kayahan-yeni-albüm
kaya-metal
kazaa
kazaa_lite_download
kendini_aska_birak
kilavuz
kirac-bedava-mp3-indir
kita-kitalar
kitapevleri
kizlar
klavye
klip-klipler
Knight_Online
kolejli_kizlar
komedi-komik
komik_fikralar
komik_flash_animasyon
komik_gazete
komik_karikaturler
komik_resimler
komik_sms
komik_sms_sozleri
komik_tv
komikev
komik-hazir-mesajlar
komik-siteler
komik-sozler
komik-videolar
konferans-duyurusu
korpe_kizlar
kpss
kpss-sinav-sonuclari-aciklandi
kredi-karti-basvurusu
kredi-kredikarti
Kultur_Sanat
kultur-kulturel
kulup-kulupler
kurban-bayrami-mesajlari
kurtlar_vadisi
kurtlar_vadisi_melodileri
kurtlar-vadisi
kurtlar-vadisi-melodileri
kurumlar-vergisi
kutlama_hazir_cep_mesajlari
kutlama-mesajlari
Kylie-Minogue
lez_lezbiyen
lise
liseler-kolejler
liseli_kizlar
liseli_kizlarin_sex_resimleri
liseli-dilara
liseli-kizlarla-sinirsiz-sohbet
liseli-lolitalar
lise-liseler
list-hotel-antalya
logomelodi
logo-melodi
love-ask-mesajlari
mac_maclar
mac-maclar
magazin
mailturk
maket-otomobil
mani-mesajlari
manken-frikikleri
mankenler
manzaralar
manzara-resimleri
maria-sharapova
mario-oyunu
markalar
meb-lise-ilkokul
medya
mehmet-ali-nuroglu
memurlar
mesaj-at
messenger-hata
midi-midiler
milli-piyango
mirc-reklam-botu
mirc-scriptler
misrosoft-front-pages-2003
mobilya
modem-adsl
modem-modemler
modifiye
monica-bellucci
motorlu_tasitlar
motor-motorsiklet
motorola_cep_telefonu_modelleri
mp3-mp3ler
msn-arkadas
msn-arkadaslik-siteleri
msn-messenger
muhabbet
muhasebe-elemanlari
murat-gogebakan
muslum-gurses
mustafa_kemal_ataturk
mustafa-sandal
mutfak
muzik
muzik_yeni_albumler
muzik-sistemleri
muzik-siteleri
nokia-wav
nasil-oynanir
natalia-nataly
nazan-oncal-mp3leri
naz-elmas-resimleri
need-for-speed-underground
nefret-mesajlari
nez-frikikleri
noel-dayi
nokia_cep_telefonu_modelleri
nokia_melodileri
nokia-cep-telefonlari
nokia-oyunlari
norton-antivirus
nostaji-mp3
numara
numaralar
oflu-hoca
ogrenci
ogretmen1
okey-oyunu
okullar
online_bahis
online_muzik-dinle
online_oyunlar
online-muzik.dinle
opusmek
ordu-resimleri
Orospu-MaNKeNLeR
oss
osym-sonuclari
otel-hoteller
oto-lastik-resimleri
otomobil-araba
otomobil-resimleri
oyun_hileleri
oyun-hileleri
oyun-oyunlar
oyun-siteleri
ozge-ozberk-resimleri
ozlem-mesajlari
ozlem-ozlemek
ozlu-mesajlar
ozur_mesajlari
ozur-mesajlari
Pamela-Anderson
paparazi_magazin
pc-computer
pekiyi
pembesayfa
Penelope-Cruz
penis-rahatsizliklari
php-scriptler
pinar-kurkut
plan-planlar
platonik-ask
playboy-kizlari
polifonik-melodi
Porno-Sex
posta-kodlari
program_download
program-arsivi
psikiyatri
pusulayi-kim-icat-etti
radyo-dinle
ramazan-bayrami-mesajlari
rejim-diyet
renkli-animasyon
renkli-logo
renkli-resimli-mesajlar
resimler
resimli-mesajlar
rize-artvin
rus-hackerlar
ruya
ruya-tabirleri
ruya-yorumlari
sadece-sex
safranbolu
saglikli-beslenme
Sagopa-Kajmer
sahibinden-kiralik-daireler
sahin-mgp
sair-sairler
saka-sakalar
samsung_cep_telefonu_modelleri
sanal-sex
sanat-sanatlar
sanayi-rehberi
Sandra-Bullock
sans-oyunlari
sari-yildiz
sans_dilekleri_hazir_cep_mesajlari
sarkicilar
sarki-mesajlari
sarkisozu
satilik-turkcell-hat
sayfa-yukleniyor
sayisal-loto
script_scriptler
seda-sayan-parcalari
sehir-sehirler
seks-hikayeleri
semra-hanim
seray-sever
seslichat
sesli-chat
Seslisohbet
sesli-sozluk
sevda-karababa
sevgi_forum
sevgi_mesajlari
sevgi_sevgiliye
sevgi_siirleri
sevgi_sozleri
sevgili_ne_arar
sevgililer_gunu
sevgiliye-mesajlar
sevgi-mesajlari
sevgi-sevgili
sevgiye-ve-aska-dair
sex_hatiralari
sex_hikayeleri
sex-arkadasiniz-cevriye
sex-filmi
sexhikayeleri
sex-partner
seyahat
sezen-aksu
showtv_ikinci_bahar
showtv-frekans
sibel_can_resimleri
sibel-Can
Sibel-Kekilli
siemens_cep_telefonu_modelleri
sifali_bitkiler
sifre-kirici
siir-siirler
Sima-Karatar
simens
sinav
sinav-sorulari
sinema
sinema-sinemalar
siyaset-siteleri
sms
sms_mesajlari
sohbet_aski
sohbetodalari
sohbetodasi
son-dakika-haber
son-dakika-spor
Sony_Ericsson_cep_telefonu_modelleri
sorular
sozluk
sp2-kurulum-hatasi-lisansli
spor_mesajlari
sporcu
spor-sporlar
sports
ssk_hizmet_dokumu
ssk-emekli
SSK-Hizmet-Dokumu