Gerald Ford ... a TRUE Republican and fine American

Former President Gerald R. Ford and his wife Betty

Gerald Ford was one of my home-state heroes. He did it all, including becoming the only "unelected" President of our country ... ever. He turned down offers to play football with the Green Bay Packers and my beloved (not doing so well today) Detroit Lions; he stepped into the worst possible situation as President ... we were already "cutting-and-running" from Vietnam and the Presidency seemed to be in a shambles.

He stepped up to the plate though and made that wonderful speech that relieved us all. It included the words, "...our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works. Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule."

If only Mr. Bush would heed the words of his fellow Republican of long ago ...

In another speech, he said "Today, America can regain the sense of pride that existed before Vietnam. But it cannot be achieved by refighting a war that is finished as far as America is concerned." Evoking Abraham Lincoln, he said it was time to "look forward to an agenda for the future, to unify, to bind up the nation's wounds." (This was immediately after we had completely pulled out of Vietnam, another of our national tragedies prior to the current occupation/war in Iraq.)

Will Mr. Bush be capable of saying such words when we finally disengage from Iraq?

In retrospect, his pardon of Mr. Nixon was courageous. Hopefully, whoever it will be that might be given the opportunity of pardoning President Bush for his war crimes and (possibly) High Treason, I hope he will be as forgiving and courageous.

Gerald R. Ford was surely the "man for his times."

And what a sad Christmas this is turning out to be ...