You Don't Have Gerald Ford to Kick Around Any More

I usually headline the eulogizing posts with "RIP..." and then the name of the person who died, but I'm not doing that for Ex-President Ford. Not because I bear him any specific ill-will. I don't think he was a great, or even particularly good, President, but he also doesn't seem to be as massive an asshole as the other men who have held the position of late. It's because, maybe he should do a little thinking rather than going immediately into the rest phase.

I think, amidst the usual gamut of mistakes, Ford made one unforgivable error: pardoning Nixon. Not just because the guy deserved to be punished for his crimes against, well, everyone. And not just because it sets a horrible precedent to let a power-mad delusional psychopath get off scott free to open his own library in Yorba Linda.

Because the guys who worked under Nixon, many of whom rose to prominance during Ford's Administration, are our current crop of power-mad delusional psychopaths. We're talking about When Dick Met Don here, people. This is the beginning of the Iraq Wars prequel trilogy. (I'd make up a joke title, but you really can't do any better than Episode I: The Phantom Menace.) If someone had done something about then then, we wouldn't be worrying about them invading places now.

This is obvious.

Any more, it's just assumed that powerful guys will get away with shit. Henry Kissinger can't even land in the airport of most countries, for fear of being arrested for war crimes on sight. Here in America, he pops into CNN's Situation Room with impunity to play elder statesmen and give his expert opinion on world affairs! That's like having Tara Reid on to give her 5 favorite beauty tips! Why would you do that?