The Pardon

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.

Posted by: kid bitzer on December 27, 2006 05:00 PM

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...

Posted by: James Killus on December 27, 2006 05:22 PM

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.

Posted by: pseudonymous in nc on December 27, 2006 05:27 PM

Bingo. Ford's legacy. IOKIYAR becomes the Holy Writ of American politics

Posted by: Pudentilla on December 27, 2006 05:37 PM

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.

Posted by: expatjourno on December 27, 2006 06:01 PM

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?

Posted by: Lou Cabron on December 27, 2006 06:11 PM

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.

Posted by: daveNYC on December 27, 2006 06:15 PM

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.

Posted by: pseudonymous in nc on December 27, 2006 06:31 PM

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.

Posted by: Keith on December 27, 2006 06:33 PM

Lou, nixon was going to be impeached and found guilty if he hadn't resigned....

Posted by: howard on December 27, 2006 06:50 PM

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.

Posted by: Jim on December 27, 2006 06:51 PM

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.

Posted by: Greg Roach on December 27, 2006 07:43 PM

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.

Posted by: Jasper on December 27, 2006 07:48 PM

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....

Posted by: howard on December 27, 2006 07:56 PM

It was Congress, not the President, who had the power to do this.

Why didn't Congress investigate? Anybody know?

Posted by: Al on December 27, 2006 08:05 PM

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.

Posted by: miguel on December 27, 2006 08:08 PM

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.

Posted by: Ed Tracey on December 27, 2006 08:32 PM

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.

Posted by: Linus on December 27, 2006 08:44 PM

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.

Posted by: Jasper on December 27, 2006 08:45 PM

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.

Posted by: Bruce in Northern California on December 27, 2006 09:15 PM

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.

Posted by: John Emerson on December 27, 2006 09:30 PM

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.

Posted by: Linus on December 27, 2006 09:30 PM

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).

Posted by: James Kabala on December 27, 2006 10:12 PM

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).

Posted by: howard on December 27, 2006 11:11 PM

Matt, you're a smart guy. I always enjoy learning from you.

Your arguments are almost always seamless.

Posted by: Joe on December 27, 2006 11:33 PM

There never was any "healing" or "reconciliation." Only justice heals, and we never got any.

Posted by: SqueakyRat on December 27, 2006 11:51 PM

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.

Posted by: soullite on December 28, 2006 09:42 AM

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.


Posted by: Appalled Moderate on December 28, 2006 10:00 AM

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.

Posted by: mle on December 28, 2006 10:01 AM

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.

Posted by: Realist on December 28, 2006 10:23 AM

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.

Posted by: Jim S. on December 28, 2006 10:34 AM

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.

Posted by: Jasper on December 28, 2006 10:45 AM

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.

Posted by: howard on December 28, 2006 11:09 AM

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.

Posted by: Al on December 28, 2006 11:15 AM

jasper, just to keep the historic record straight...

Howard: thanks for the clarification.

Posted by: Jasper on December 28, 2006 11:20 AM

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!

Posted by: howard on December 28, 2006 11:23 AM

"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."

Posted by: TT on December 28, 2006 11:26 AM

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

Posted by: Andy on December 28, 2006 01:46 PM

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.

Posted by: DrBB on December 28, 2006 03:33 PM

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!"

Posted by: Virginia Dutch on December 28, 2006 03:43 PM

>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?

Posted by: James Killus on December 28, 2006 05:52 PM

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.

Posted by: garryowen on December 29, 2006 11:10 AM

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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thank you sir.. good site..thank you sir.. good site..thank you sir.. good site..thank you sir.. good site..thank you sir.. good site..thank you sir.. good site..thank you sir.. good site..thank you sir.. good site..

Posted by: Mynet Sohbet on October 2, 2007 07:18 AM

thanks

Posted by: sohbet on October 6, 2007 08:00 PM

thanks

Posted by: Oyun on October 7, 2007 07:24 AM

very nice...

Posted by: evden eve nakliyat on October 8, 2007 02:25 AM

thank you

Posted by: indir on October 8, 2007 08:30 AM

barbi oyunları

Posted by: barbi oyunları on October 11, 2007 11:31 AM

minikperi oyunları

Posted by: minikperi on October 11, 2007 11:31 AM

magazin haberleri

Posted by: magazin on October 11, 2007 11:32 AM

özen çiçek

Posted by: çiçekçi on October 12, 2007 01:39 PM

kadıköy flowers

Posted by: çiçekçiler on October 12, 2007 01:40 PM

thanks..

Posted by: indir on October 14, 2007 08:18 AM

thankss

Posted by: sohbet on October 19, 2007 10:20 AM

chat

adult

islam

sohbet

sohbet

sohbet

2.el-ikinci-el

3d_resimler

29_ekim

30_agustos

6600_uygulamalar

7610_program_download

acem_kizi_mp3_midileri

acik_ogretim_sinav_sonuclari

agaclar_ormanlar

ahmet_ozhan

ahu_tugba

akor_akorlar

alisveris_alis_veris

almanca_germany

almanca_turkce_sozluk

altili_ganyan_tahmin

am_amciklar

am-amcik

Angelina-Jolie

animasyon

ankara_hotel

ankarada_satilik_ev_ilanlari

anket_sayfalari

anna_kournikova

anne_anneler

anneler_gunu_hazir_cep_mesajlari

anneler_gunu_mesajlari

antalyada_konutlar

araba_ilanlari

search_ara

search_search_motorlari

arkadas

arkadas_search

arkadas_bul

artvin_hopa_resim_galerisi

arzu_arzular

ascii_mesajlar

asian_sites_for_free_email_addresses

ask_askim

ask_harita

ask_hazir_mesaj

ask_mesk

ask_ogut_99ogut

ask_sembolleri

ask_siirleri

ask_sizi_ele_verir

ask_sozleri

ask_tazelemek

ask_ve_guzellik_tanricasi_afrodit

asker_hazir_mesajlari

asker_hazir_mesajlari2

aski_sicak_tut

askim_askim

askin_sayilari

ask-sozleri

asp

asp_scriptler

at_yarisi_sonuclari

ata_demirer

ata_sozleri

ates_atesli

ataturk_ataturkculuk

atyarisi_at_yarislari

avea_melodileri

avrupa_amerika_asya_kitasi

avrupa_yakasi

aya_ikinci_cikan_insan

ayak_ayakta_sex

aylin_coskun

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