Ted Kennedy on the Pardon

With the death of President Ford yesterday, recaps of his presidency will abound in the next few days. One popular subject will be his pardon of Nixon, a highly controversial and unpopular act at the time, one which may have cost him the 1976 election. That's always the focus, the impact on the subsequent election. What is often not noted is that Ford, years later, would win the Profiles in Courage award from the Kennedy library, an award recognizing "courageous political leaders who faced crucial decisions and made them under great pressure, and often at great risk to their own careers." It is worth noting the comments of Senator Ted Kennedy on the occasion:

At a time of national turmoil, America was fortunate that it was Gerald Ford who took the helm of the storm-tossed ship of state. Unlike many of us at the time, President Ford recognized that the nation had to move forward, and could not do so if there was a continuing effort to prosecute former President Nixon. So President Ford made a courageous decision, one that historians now say cost him his office, and he pardoned Richard Nixon.

I was one of those who spoke out against his action then. But time has a way of clarifying past events, and now we see that President Ford was right. His courage and dedication to our country made it possible for us to begin the process of healing and put the tragedy of Watergate behind us. He eminently deserves this award, and we are proud of his achievement.