On the Passing of Gerald Ford

Gerry Ford is one of the four Presidents I’ve seen albeit before he became President. He spoke to the summer interns in 1971 when I was in Washington and welcomed us to D.C.

I was very partial to Ford and when Ronald Reagan attempted to wrest the GOP nomination from him in 1976 I was a strong Ford partisan. I always blamed Bob Dole for his defeat even though most people blamed his loss on the Nixon pardon. I thought the pardon was the right thing to do.

I just read this bruising critique of Ford by Christopher Hitchens which is worth a read. Whenever everyone starts starts acting like a herd (and almost everyone has been saying nice things about Ford) its worth paying attention to the dissenters. Hitchens hasn’t changed my mind though. I’m still a Ford fan.

About the author

Harry is a ferociously good natured eccentric in Duluth Minnesota who detests traitors dressed up as Uncle Sam. You can find somewhat better edited writings of his at the Duluth Reader "contributors." page. The URL is:

https://duluthreader.com/contributors/h/84/284-harry-welty