Gerald Ford: 1913 - 2006

Ford was a good man, although not a great president. He brought integrity back to the White House after Nixon resigned. His ability to work effectively with the Democrat-controlled congress was limited, but he did well to veto some of their more ridiculous bills. South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos were taken over by brutal totalitarian regimes during his term, but we can also lay most of the blame on the Democrats.

I can still remember his ludicrous statement: "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe," during a debate with Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential campaign. That gaffe probably cost him the election.

But he was a much better president than Carter could ever hope to be. And he was a man of sound character, an athlete, and someone who set an example for others to follow, unlike that loser Clinton.