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Tuesday, 09 January 2007 16:19 |
 When former President Gerald R. Ford died on Dec. 26, the nation lost a man who, while not without his flaws, embodied a deep integrity and sincerity. He also represented a breed not often found in this contentious era ÇƒÓ a reasonable moderate.
As much of the political spectrum has become more hardened in its positions and more aggressive in its attacks, the country has witnessed a shattering of the discourse and moderation that those of Fordës caliber prized and promoted.
A
man who never asked for the presidency, Ford truly believed in trying
to restore some sense of balance and openness to a political
environment that had become rancorous. He was not entirely successful
in that, but it was a noble effort.
As comments
related to reporter Bob Woodward reveal, Ford also believed in a more
cautious course than many of todayës conservative elite. He said that
he would not have undertaken the invasion of Iraq in 2003 for many of
the problems that have now become front-page news.
While in office,
Ford pursued a course of diplomacy abroad. While many of his
initiatives, including the 1975 withdrawal of Israeli forces from the
Sinai and arms limitations agreements with the U.S.S.R., were viewed as
weak by hard-line right-wingers at the time, they ended up paying off
major dividends for his successors.
In that, too,
Ford represented a breed all too uncommon in politics now ÇƒÓ he
understood that, rather than grandiose plans and crusades, it is often
smaller steps that eventually lead to good outcomes. He was also not
obsessed with "building a legacy" for himself, but building a better
future for the country in the end.
Domestically, he
made many mistakes, but also registered some major accomplishments. In
1976, he signed a series of sweeping laws strictly limiting electronic
surveillance of American citizens. Again, the importance of the step
was not appreciated at the time, but now, with a government
aggressively trying to circumvent or disobey those surveillance laws,
we can see how important Fordës simple commitment to privacy and
individual rights was.
Later, Ford
would be eclipsed by Ronald Reaganës crusading zeal and simple
platitudes. Fordës route ÇƒÓ moderate, careful, diplomatic, humble,
honest ÇƒÓ went into decline, first in his own party, then in America as
a whole.
That approach
was his greatest legacy, especially with the hindsight of history. Let
us hope that Ford was not the last reasonable moderate in American
politics.
Indeed, Fordës brand of moderation is much-needed in the U.S. again.
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