Goodbyes (world version)

Gerald Ford was one of the last moderate Republicans, and his passing would have hardly been mentioned save for the odd chance that he was named to the Vice Presidency by Richard Nixon before the implosion of his Presidency. Ford had been a competent member of Congress, rising to the position of minority leader through hard work and dedication to the craft of politics. His position was one of bipartisanship, back when that word didn't mean capitulation to the arrogance of the right wing. His selection to replace the disgraced Spiro Agnew was seen by many as a Nixonian ploy to forestall the continued pillorying he was receiving because of the Watergate cover-up. By naming Ford, Nixon probably hoped that Ford's impeccable reputation would somehow create an aura of fairness and decency in his own Administration--either that, or he had already made sure that Ford would pardon him for his crimes.
It is for that shameful act, however, that Gerald R. Ford will be remembered. (Well, that, and Chevy Chase's devastating parody of his supposed clumsiness, of course.) This premature ending of "our long national nightmare" created a lasting sense of unease concerning the inner workings of the Executive Branch that has probably done more to help erode the trust our country places in government than anything else other than the Vietnam War. This distrust can be seen as the main underlying theme of the last 30 years' political narrative as the Republican Party has continually, and highly ironically, pandered to that public feeling in order to successfully gain the votes of the disaffected.
Ford's genial persona and obvious well-meaning has shielded him from much scorn deriving from his pardon. He has been seen more as a likable, slightly daft kindly uncle (his turn on "The Simpsons" cementing this characterization, as opposed to that of G.H.W. Bush, who was mercilessly portrayed as a meaner, unhinged Mr. Wilson of "Dennis the Menace" fame). Attacking Ford for his political gamesmanship and questionable morality for the pardon would have been seen as being somehow unseemly, and his defeat in 1976 at the hands of Jimmy Carter ("Who?" being the most common response to his candidacy) was probably deemed punishment enough.
Ford was 93, which seems older than I would have thought him to have been. His place in history, for now, is secure: he represents the last Republican elected to the Presidency who wasn't dedicated to destroying the government from within and killing as many "evildoers" as possible abroad. Would I accept Ford, pardon and all, as my President instead of Reagan, Poppy, or Smirky? In a heartbeat . . .