A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE PRESIDENT GERALD R. FORD

Americans file past Ford's casket
Tribute ... a military guard of honour surrounds the flag-draped casket of former US President Gerald R. Ford


From correspondents in Washington
January 01, 2007 09:23am

Article from: Agence France-Presse

AMERICANS are paying their last respects to former president Gerald Ford, who has been praised by former aides and politicians for offering steady leadership after the Watergate scandal.

Ordinary Americans filed past Ford's flag-draped casket in the Congress building's Rotunda today after being greeted by one of the late president's sons, Jack.

Ford died in California on December 26 at the age of 93.

Vice President Dick Cheney, who served as Ford's chief of staff, has delivered a speech hailing Ford for his most criticised decision - pardoning his predecessor Richard Nixon.

Mr Cheney told mourners the former president "was almost alone in understanding that there can be no healing without pardon".

During a time of "great malice" following President Nixon's resignation in 1974, Mr Cheney said Ford's decision saved the country from division and disaster.

"It was this man, Gerald R. Ford, who led our republic safely through a crisis that could have turned to catastrophe," he said.

"We will never know what further unravelings, what greater malevolence might have come in that time of furies turned loose and hearts turned cold."

In September 1974, Ford delivered an unconditional pardon for any crimes Nixon might have committed, a move that Nixon's opponents viewed as unjust and led to speculation that a deal had been cut beforehand.

Ford was also remembered for his humble manner and his reputation for honesty.

"Few have ever risen so high with so little guile or calculation," Mr Cheney said.

After finishing the eulogy, Mr Cheney said a few words to former first lady Betty Ford before leading her over to the casket, where they were joined by the Ford children.

President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush are yet to view the casket at the Capitol.

The series of solemn tributes to Ford will continue, with January 2 declared a national day of mourning and a service planned at the National Cathedral.

The outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, said Ford provided a steady hand at a difficult moment in history.

"We needed a healer. We needed a rock. We needed honesty, candor, and courage. We needed Gerald Ford," he told mourners.

Apart from the crisis prompted by the Watergate scandal, Ford also inherited the final phase of US military involvement in Vietnam.

In an interview with the Washington Post that was published at the weekend, Ford recalled the US presence in Vietnam with regret.

"I hope we never live through another era like that in American history. The answers were very evasive. The results were very disillusioning," he said.

In keeping with his family's wishes, the funeral services scheduled for the 38th president will be more muted than those for former president Ronald Reagan two years ago.

His remains are to be laid to rest at the Gerald Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Ford served in Congress for 25 years before being appointed vice president by President Nixon in 1973.

The president's resignation in 1974, under the cloud of the Watergate scandal, left Ford to assume the presidency from mid-1974 to early 1977.