But Gerald Ford did things for this nation that should not be forgotten. First, and not without controversy, Ford pardoned Richard Nixon, even thought Nixon had not been convicted of anything. At a time when the nation was struggling abroad and at home, Ford brought closure to " the long national nightmare" that was Watergate. But people also forget that Ford was brought in to replace another disgraced national figure, Spiro Agnew. On the domestic front, Ford helped calm a jittery nation.
On the foriegn policy matters, Ford was sitting during the final days of Vietnam, a war that also divided a nation like Iraq. While I hope that President Bush will bw able to set a proper and successful course for Iraq in these last two years of his presidency, Bush's successor can learn much from the steady leadership of Ford.
Leadership need not be flambouyant to be effective, but it does require a sense of ease with oneself, an ease that Frod clearly had, confident in himself to the point that he was unconcerned with what the media thought of him. A lesson that our current President couls learn from Ford would to not worry about doing everything well, but to focus on doing a few things in a truly outstanding fashion.
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