Happy 90th Gerald Ford!

[romantico]

By far the ONLY living Repub President whom I greatly admire!Ford seems to be a gentleman!!!(just wish he'd come forward & name names about the JFK assassination)

[northernsoul]

1. my favority Ford quote:

"Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before."

I don't know if that's how he meant for it to come out or not, but that downright zen-like.

[Ishoutandscream]

2. A gentleman who pardoned Nixon

That still gets me.

[romantico]

3. I think he was thinking of the country

I feel the same way,but I think it was the only thing he could do.

[corarose]

5. No, he was thinking about his friend

Did you grow up during the Ford administration? I did and he wasn't what the media makes him out to be.

I don't have anything bad to say about him but I don't have anything good to say about him either.

Did the media wish Carter a happy birthday?

[CMT]

4. I buy his reasoning on the Nixon pardon

that the country could not have moved forward for the how ever many years a Nixon trial would have taken. I buy it as his reasoning but I still feel that Nixon should have been tried in a court of law like any other criminal.

But I like Jerry Ford--he seems like a fairly decent man but one who did get caught up in the history of our country--1) The Warren commission 2) Trying to impeach Justice Douglas (doing the Nixon bidding on that) 3) becoming a compromise VP choice only becuz John Connally couldn't have been confirmed by the House. 4) becoming our first unelected president 5) pardoning Nixon.

[romantico]

6. No, I wasn't born when Ford was President

So I am going on what History has recorded.IMO,he doesn't seem like your typical right winger.He seemed like a moderate who was thrown into a situation that was hell & not easy!I've heard him in interviews & read about him & think to myself he was an old time republican not like republicans of today.

[quispquake]

7. ...and let's not forget Ford was on the Warren Commission...

So, an old hand at cover-ups...

[Merlin]

8. Ford was a slimy, willing, lying puppet.

He was charged with being an obstacle to justice both on the Warren Commission and in the aftermath of Watergate. That's exactly what he did, both times. He ran roughshod over questions of the most serious nature in order to satisfy his handlers who were calling the shots all along the way.

Jerry played dumb. That's his genius. Like Bush, people think he's not smart enough to lie. But the only reason he got to the Presidency was his willingness to lie bigtime.

[JI7]

9. i like gerald ford

i think he is a good man. i know some are upset at his pardoning nixon. but i think he meant well even though many may disagree with it. also he seems like a very nice guy. i hope he has a happy birthday, with more to come in the future. if i didn't know of him i would think he was younger than 90.

[noonwitch]

10. I like Ford, too

He's been saying that the GOP is wrong to let the religious right take over and he is from the capital city of the religious right, Grand Rapids, MI. He also wrote a brief in support of UMs affirmative action program. He was not only a student there, he was a star football player. I grew up there and was about 8 when he became President, so I have the hometown affection for him that most people there have. Hell, they built a multi-million dollar museum in honor of his two year, unelected presidency! It's actually a good museum, too.
I also agree that he pardoned Nixon because he thought it was the best thing for the country to put Watergate behind it and move on.

[tomp]

11. g_ f_ck y__rs_lf, gerald ford!

(wanna buy a vowel?)

he pardoned nixon. that's enough to earn my wrath. yet you say he had names on the kennedy assassination and DIDN'T reveal them, and you respect him? sheesh!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

14. Re: Gerald Ford

Although I am reflexively anti-Republican, Gerald Ford was a decent human being totally lacking in pretension and the right man at the right time. He was pro- choice and pro E R A and as we can see by his amicus brief in the University of Michigan case he was pro affirmative action. In fact Ford's moderation is what led Reagan to challenge him in the primaries in 76 and why today's Repugnicans have practically disowned him. And don't forget he appointed John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court who is arguably as progressive as Rose Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Bryer.

His pardon of Nixon was the right thing. I love my country more than I hated Nixon ( I was sixteen) when Watergate was happening and having an ex-pres in the slammer would have been horrific.

Ford's no saint. His effort to impeach William O Douglas was wrong.

As far as his serving on the Warren Commision, read Gerald Posner's Best Evidence in which he reviews all the research on the Kennedy assasination and concludes Oswald acted alone." Sometime's a cigar just a cigar".

And btw, you are free to disagree with the "Oswald acted alone" theory, many do...

[tinanator]

28. lo f'in L!

sad sad sad

[Kahuna]

12. Nice guy. Though I must admit when he was president...

I didn't like him at all. Though I can't remember exactly why. :shrug: I'm sure he must have been doing slimy things like repukes do even if I can't remember the specifics.

[stevedeshazer]

13. Thanks, Jerry

Thanks for pardoning that crook, Nixon.
http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/05/21/ford.award/

Thanks for working with Kissinger to facilitate the murder of thousands of East Timorans by Suharto and Indonesia.
http://www.etan.org/et2002a/january/27-31/24docum.htm

Thanks for the magic bullet and the Warren Commission coverup
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/JFK/ford.html.

I'm one American who doesn't buy your friendly bumbler image. You are a liar. I hope others will read these links.

Happy fucking birthday, Mr. President.

[tinanator]

15. thanks Ger!

Thanks for the sustained coverups, the pardons, the massacres in East Timores, and all the clumsy moves. I hope you have it in you to confess your sins to the people before you die.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. Profile In Courage Winner

If Gerald Ford is such a "monster" why did he win the John F Kennedy Profile of Courage award in 2001 and why did Ted Kennedy say at the ceremony that he now realizes Gerald Ford's contributions to this country.

If he's good enough for Ted Kennedy ( who my mom and I campaigned for in 1980) he's good enough for me.

If we slam all Republicans we become as bad as that b-tch Ann Coulter who couldn't even bring herself to say on Hardball that JFK wasn't a traitor.

I don't want to get in the gutter with the Freepers. When you wrestle with pigs you both get dirty and the pig likes it.

[JustJoe]

24. How did he get elected President!

Oh, that's right, he wasn't elected President.
He was elected Vice-President.
Oh, wait, he wasn't even elected Vice-President.
He was picked by Nixon to fill in
after Agnew quit in disgrace with the cops on his heels.
Happy Birthday, Jer, you tree-trunk!

[tinanator]

26. Teddy who stabbed Jimmy in the back and gave us Ron and George?

Theres a message there somewhere. Hope you give it some thought.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. Profile In Courage Winner

If Gerald Ford is such a "monster" why did he win the John F Kennedy Profile of Courage award in 2001 and why did Ted Kennedy say at the ceremony that he now realizes Gerald Ford's contributions to this country.

If he's good enough for Ted Kennedy ( who my mom and I campaigned for in 1980) he's good enough for me.

If we slam all Republicans we become as bad as that b-tch Ann Coulter who couldn't even bring herself to say on Hardball that JFK wasn't a traitor.

I don't want to get in the gutter with the Freepers. When you wrestle with pigs you both get dirty and the pig likes it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

19. Profile In Courage Winner

If Gerald Ford is such a "monster" why did he win the John F Kennedy Profile of Courage award in 2001 and why did Ted Kennedy say at the ceremony that he now realizes Gerald Ford's contributions to this country.

If he's good enough for Ted Kennedy ( who my mom and I campaigned for in 1980) he's good enough for me.

If we slam all Republicans we become as bad as that b-tch Ann Coulter who couldn't even bring herself to say on Hardball that JFK wasn't a traitor.

I don't want to get in the gutter with the Freepers. When you wrestle with pigs you both get dirty and the pig likes it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. Profile In Courage Winner

If Gerald Ford is such a "monster" why did he win the John F Kennedy Profile of Courage award in 2001 and why did Ted Kennedy say at the ceremony that he now realizes Gerald Ford's contributions to this country.

If he's good enough for Ted Kennedy ( who my mom and I campaigned for in 1980) he's good enough for me.

If we slam all Republicans we become as bad as that b-tch Ann Coulter who couldn't even bring herself to say on Hardball that JFK wasn't a traitor.

I don't want to get in the gutter with the Freepers. When you wrestle with pigs you both get dirty and the pig likes it.

[mitchum]

16. Happy Birthday, waterboy!

[Scurrilous]

21. Ford 90! Reagan 92!

Amiable dunces cannot die! :scared:

[Lostnote03]

22. Ford???

......Ford was protecting his party!!!.....If he had NOT pardoned Nixon the RW GOP would have been delegated to the historical dustbin....His pardon did much to halt the development of "Sunshine Democracy"......His participation in the Warren Commission sums up his political career.....

[JustJoe]

23. Dont forget that Ford was

not only on the Warren Commission &
eagerly participated in the cover-up of JFK's assassination,
he was J. Edna Hoover's Whore on that Commission.

[Paranoid_Portlander]

25. I remember Ford's Vietnam amnesty.

It was an attempt to heal the psychological wounds after the war. But the amnesty was full of half-measures in an attempt to make both sides of the issue happy. It actually made both sides generally unhappy. Carter granted full amnesty, with a few exceptions.

[julka]

27. where did all these ignoramuses come from?

merlin has it on the money, as well as the poster who brought up Timor.


he's a sleazy scumbag of the highest order....it's well known that the ONLY reason Nixon picked him to veep was that he insisted that he pardon him if it became necessary.

how easily fooled some people can be.....

amiable dunce, indeed

check out what a venal creep he's been since he left office, too.

anybody can go out and play golf with him, if they can fork over $25K, or so.

contrast that with Jimmy Carter, for example


look at how ALL of the recent expug presidents have comported themselves.....worthless, lying weasels, all

not that there's anything wrong with that

[amazona]

29. Ford was a falling down, easily manipulated drunk

He is nothing to admire. He was the first time that the GOP experimented with the idea of putting a pathetic puppet in the top slot. He was a falling-down drunk whose basic role was to help cover up anything Nixon may have done "past or present" and to let himself be used like a piece of tissue. It worked well enough for the GOP to make this a pretty permanent schtick of putting a puppet in front -- we got Reagan the Alzheimer's victim, Poppy Bush the drug/alcohol addict, the current Bush who either has the world's earliest case of Alzheimer's or organic brain syndrome -- I'm voting for organic brain syndrome because of his very well documented problems with drink.

It is scary to read interviews with Gerald Ford today and realize that he stands head and shoulders intellectually over Reagan and the two Bushes -- even after spending most of his life drunk and having suffered a stroke.


Ford's wife Betty had a lot of courage as far as she could take it, with bringing the problems of substance abuse and breast cancer out into polite conversation but to my knowledge even she was never honest about the reason why her husband kept falling down throughout his administration.

My favorite quote in this matter is not from Ford himself but from LBJ speaking of Ford: "He played too much football without his helmet."

[Norbert]

30. Chevy Chase owes Gerald Ford a debt of gratitude.

I like Gerald Ford too. He gave it you you straight, good news or bad. I like Betty Ford too. It took a lot of courage to get through her demons.

May they both heve several more years of happiness.

[electricmonk]

31. If not for Ford

Would Cheney and Rumsfeld be where they are today? Possible but he gave those 2 snakes a lot of power and chances to pad their resumes.