So I know that Fort was hoping that pardoning Nixon would allow the nation to put an end to the Watergate controversy. How would you support the pardoning? or If you like, argue against it?
2007-04-24 16:51:37 · 5 answers · asked by fuyutsuki90 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
His name was Ford not Fort. President Ford let Nixon off the hook for the crimes he committed. It was a poltiical decision that is clearly a case of Ford using his power to help a buddy get out of trouble, as if your father was a policeman and convinced a policeman who arrested you to not charge you.
It was very corrupt, and to cover up his corruption, Ford claimed that he pardoned Nixon to help the country move on, which was an absurd lie.
Letting people escape justice doesn't help anyone move on. For example, if I killed your mom, and the judge said he was dismissing the case to help everybody forget about your mom's murder, you would be outraged and angry, and it would take you longer to move on than if he had put me in jail for the rest of my life where you correctly felt I should be.
2007-04-24 16:58:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It worked, as a matter of fact.
However, the problem was that there were too many people who blamed Nixon for the War in Vietnam when they should have blamed Johnson. But Congress was controlled by the Democrats and as we are seeing today, whenever it is their war, then it's okay (when are we getting out of Bosnia, by-the-way? Oh, that's okay, that was Clinton's war, and we're still sending troops there) ... but when it's a Republican war, or perceived that way, then their first call is for "impeachment". It's all happening again.
The country was so polarized, as it is today, that the only way to stop the political bloodshed was to pardon Nixon, which the Democrats crucified Ford for doing, but it was 100% the right decision. Without that pardon the trial and the lawyers and the press coverage and the innuendo would have gone on for years and how would that have benefited America? Asa it turned out Nixon was one the best foreign policy minds that every stepped into the Oval Office and even Reagan and Clinton called to speak with him once a week, just to get his input, he was that much respected. Had the witch hunt continued, a very intelligent (but perhaps misguided) mind would have been lost.
By the way, does anyone know what the plumbers were looking for in the DNC Headquarters?
2007-04-24 23:56:49 · answer #2 · answered by John B 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The best support is the total lack of ongoing stupidity about it.
The primary people arguing against it fell in two groups: Those that were absolute supporters of Nixon who said that a pardon required a crime and he had done no crime (or had not been convicted.) Those that absolutely hated the man, often from his behavior in the late 50's and early 60's, and wanted to string him up or see him rot.
I would say the ongoing releases of additional tapes from the White House tapes with his own words have continued to destroy any reputation he might have retained.
2007-04-24 23:58:47 · answer #3 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It put the matter to rest. Nixon was happy that he wasnt going to jail, the people were happy cause Nixon wasnt gonna be president, the Democrats were happy cause Nixon wasnt president. I mean maybe justice wasnt served, but Ford just wanted to put that out of the way and focus on things that were really important.
2007-04-25 00:55:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It worked, the country healed after it. In the long run it was a good, but unpopular, idea.
2007-04-24 23:56:40 · answer #5 · answered by 29 characters to work with...... 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋