Consider Gerald R. Ford, our nation’s 38th president. The only man to sit in the Oval Office who was elected to neither the presidency nor the vice presidency. His tenure was fourth shortest, only William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor and James Garfield served fewer days, and they all died in office, Mr. Taylor from eating too many cucumbers.
And yet – history may not have finished writing Mr. Ford’s legacy. During the recent presidential transition, one hundred and some odd days ago, the popular sentiment on the Sunday morning talk shows was that the “adults” were taking charge of the administration again. The new guys were considered “adults” because they had served in previous administrations, some as far back as the Ford administration.
One Ford alumnus, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, recently drew attention to himself by ordering the U.S. military to cut off all contact with the People’s Republic of China, and that includes the new berets for the Army. Later that same day, Mr. Rumsfeld drew attention to himself again, by reversing his earlier order and declaring military contacts with China will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, although it’s still a big ixnay on the berets.
I couldn’t help thinking about the 1976 presidential debates, when Gerald Ford said eastern Europe was not dominated by the Soviet Union and as long as he was president, it never would be. Unlike Mr. Rumsfeld, Mr. Ford never reversed himself on that statement and his ship of state went down with all flags flying.
Last week, Dick Cheney, who was chief of staff in the Ford White House, called for the construction of one thousand, three hundred new power plants to meet the growing demand for energy. Conservation, he said, could not play a significant role in helping America meet its energy goals. A few days later, the government’s energy experts stepped forward to say Mr. Cheney’s remarks were a bit inaccurate. By the government’s own calculations, conservation programs may go as far as halfway toward meeting the energy needs Mr. Cheney cited. Mr. Cheney has been appointed to head a blue-ribbon panel on finding answers to America’s energy demands and somehow he never got around to asking the government’s energy experts what was up before he stood behind the podium.
Many people, some of them right on this website, see this as evidence that Mr. Cheney is still in bed with the oil industry, where he spent eight years before his most recent government position. I’m not that cynical. I just look on this as another Fordian slip.
The Ford team’s gaffes on domestic policy were as bad as their foreign policy. The big idea for dealing with the economy back then was to print up a couple million buttons that said “W-I-N,” which stood for “Whip Inflation Now.” Mr. Ford actually went on tee vee and encouraged people to wear these “WIN” buttons, as if that would do any good. My friend Dave made a button that said “W-I-O,” which stood for “Whip It Out,” a reference to, well, you probably get the idea. I’ll admit, my friend Dave’s button was sophomoric, but we were sophomores, for God’s sake. I don’t know what Gerald Ford’s excuse was.
So now they’re back, Dick and Don and the other “adults” of a quarter century ago. The president they serve, like Mr. Ford, was somehow not elected to the office he holds, and yet, there he is. Like Mr. Ford, this guy seems to be an affable bonehead, someone you wouldn’t mind to have living down the block, but it’s a national embarrassment to have him popping out of Air Force One.
We’ll just have to stick it out – or as Dave would say, whip it out.
Fordian Slips
Consider Gerald R. Ford, our nation’s 38th president. The only man to sit in the Oval Office who was elected to neither the presidency nor the vice presidency. His tenure was fourth shortest, only William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor and James Garfield served fewer days, and they all died in office, Mr. Taylor from eating too many cucumbers.
And yet – history may not have finished writing Mr. Ford’s legacy. During the recent presidential transition, one hundred and some odd days ago, the popular sentiment on the Sunday morning talk shows was that the “adults” were taking charge of the administration again. The new guys were considered “adults” because they had served in previous administrations, some as far back as the Ford administration.
One Ford alumnus, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, recently drew attention to himself by ordering the U.S. military to cut off all contact with the People’s Republic of China, and that includes the new berets for the Army. Later that same day, Mr. Rumsfeld drew attention to himself again, by reversing his earlier order and declaring military contacts with China will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, although it’s still a big ixnay on the berets.
I couldn’t help thinking about the 1976 presidential debates, when Gerald Ford said eastern Europe was not dominated by the Soviet Union and as long as he was president, it never would be. Unlike Mr. Rumsfeld, Mr. Ford never reversed himself on that statement and his ship of state went down with all flags flying.
Last week, Dick Cheney, who was chief of staff in the Ford White House, called for the construction of one thousand, three hundred new power plants to meet the growing demand for energy. Conservation, he said, could not play a significant role in helping America meet its energy goals. A few days later, the government’s energy experts stepped forward to say Mr. Cheney’s remarks were a bit inaccurate. By the government’s own calculations, conservation programs may go as far as halfway toward meeting the energy needs Mr. Cheney cited. Mr. Cheney has been appointed to head a blue-ribbon panel on finding answers to America’s energy demands and somehow he never got around to asking the government’s energy experts what was up before he stood behind the podium.
Many people, some of them right on this website, see this as evidence that Mr. Cheney is still in bed with the oil industry, where he spent eight years before his most recent government position. I’m not that cynical. I just look on this as another Fordian slip.
The Ford team’s gaffes on domestic policy were as bad as their foreign policy. The big idea for dealing with the economy back then was to print up a couple million buttons that said “W-I-N,” which stood for “Whip Inflation Now.” Mr. Ford actually went on tee vee and encouraged people to wear these “WIN” buttons, as if that would do any good. My friend Dave made a button that said “W-I-O,” which stood for “Whip It Out,” a reference to, well, you probably get the idea. I’ll admit, my friend Dave’s button was sophomoric, but we were sophomores, for God’s sake. I don’t know what Gerald Ford’s excuse was.
So now they’re back, Dick and Don and the other “adults” of a quarter century ago. The president they serve, like Mr. Ford, was somehow not elected to the office he holds, and yet, there he is. Like Mr. Ford, this guy seems to be an affable bonehead, someone you wouldn’t mind to have living down the block, but it’s a national embarrassment to have him popping out of Air Force One.
We’ll just have to stick it out – or as Dave would say, whip it out.