Gerald Rudolph Ford (1974-1977)

Pardoned Nixon to "help heal our country," proving that powerful WASP males will always be able get away with talking about murdering their rivals in the Oval Office. Or in Dick Cheney's office, if he's free.

He was definitely not that great of a president but he was not a bad one.  He was an ordinary man pushed into the presidency because of circumstances that were beyond his control.  I think that he did the best he could with what was given to him, I mean he did take over the presidency during Watergate, one of the biggest presidential scandals in American history. Looking at this I think he did a great job in helping America recover from this huge cover-up.

Poor Jerry. He got promoted way past his capabilities and talent. His WIN button program, if you remember that, was a scream. I know. Everyone is singing his praises now that he is dead. But really, folks, facts are facts.

A bug on the windshield of the presidency. One of the most inconsequential men to hold the office. That being said, he is far from the worst president ever, hence the extra star.

Played to much football without headgear. Mr. Ford has died and the news media and Bush are all telling us all how wonderful he was. How history will remember him as a great an honest man. How he united the country during the resignation of Nixon. I laugh! What he did was deny the country justice by the pardon of Nixon. To me he will alway be suspect.

If there was ever a decent man who became President, Gerald Ford was certainly THE man. An honest, unpretentious man who brought respectability back to the White House, Ford was as hardworking as he was considerate of others. Becoming President in the wake of the Watergate Scandal, Ford sought to heal the nation- and in effect jeopardized his own chances to be elected to the Presidency in his own right (and effectively ending his otherwise distinguished political career) in 1976. Nevertheless, President Ford will always be remembered for his steady leadership during a very tumultuous era in our nation's history.

Not the brightest of lights, Ford provided some measure of decency and continuity to the nation after the "long national nightmare" of Richard Nixon; however, I will never forgive him for his outright pardon of Nixon and I am still suspicious of his participation in the seriously flawed Warren Report. Barely makes "OK" grade for me.

Needed a stunt double...

Ford wasn't a bad guy and under different circumstances might have had a halfway decent presidency, but it was not to be. While his presidency was for the most part forgettable, he was what was needed to maintain stability until the next election. The Democratic congress and their lapdogs in the press still had the taste of blood in their mouths from (after 25 years of trying) bringing down Nixon, and it was already in the cards that a Democrat, almost any Democrat, would be a shoe-in come the 1976 election. After Ford weathered the storm of the Nixon pardon, he went on to be the spokesman for some losing programs. His "WIN" campaign (WIN = whip inflation now) didn't work (President Carter would later prove that he did not have the answers either) and then Ford took part promoting the Swine Flu Vaccine debacle. When a few older folks died after receiving their vaccinations the whole idea was abandoned proving once again that people should make their own decisions and not let governm... Read more

Jerry Ford was a decent man of the old guard GOP- he helped heal the nation after Watergate. His wife Betty is one of the best first ladies we have ever had. If politicians today could be as honest as Ford- we would not have the problems we currently have.

i thought i saw him in a wax museum...................3 stars!!!!!!!!! didn't ya hear me world: 3 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Though hampered by a hostile congress (Democrats wouldn't work with him because he was a Republican, Republicans wouldn't work with him because he wasn't elected), Ford did nothing to stop the expanding government and help the failing economy. And he was weak at foreign policy. Our position on the world stage was visibly weakened under Ford. A good man, a terrible president. Ford is probably one of the five or six worst presidents in U.S. history.

Largely ineffective as President, but did no real damage and provided us with some terrific comic moments....He did make some tough decisions internally. He had no choice really, what with the Neo-Con gun pointed at his head and all. Gets an extra star cause he's a Wolverine!! Go Blue!!

He was the Clown Prince of the presidentcey

how the hell did a democrat like carter beat this guy? well, at least reagan showed him

He was the last GOP president that I really liked. One of the best things that Ford did was promote an open administration. Unlike Nixon, he was honest and told the truth. He helped restore trust in American government. He would've made Harry Truman proud of him and Jimmy Carter credited Ford for healing the nation.

Really wasn't in office long enough to say he was a good or bad president, but I will give him credit for keeping things relatively smooth at a critical time. His short time in office and the fact that he was never elected mean, unfortunately for him, his legacy will consist of his gaffe about Eastern Europe, pardoning Nixon, and falling down.

D'oh! Gerald Ford just followed orders. If history is kind to the apparatchik, it will be another histrical mistake.

the only president meaner-spirited or narrow-minded than Ford was Nixon, Ford made Agnew look almost decent,and was almost solely responsible for harrassing Abe Fortas from the supreme court,he would rate high on a list of sonsofbitches.

History will be kind to Gerald Ford.

President Ford helped to heal a wounded and battered nation after the nightmare of Watergate...considering the fact that he was tapped to be vice president and then finally president without ever dreaming that he would be I think he did an admirable job. A shame he lost in '76.

I think he made the best of his unintentional Presidency.

Had some dumb stuff like WIN', but probably a tad underrated. I somehow think I would've respected him. I probably would've voted Carter, but wouldn't have been disappointed w/ Ford in '76.

He meant well, but wasn't the brightest star in the sky. Remember his answer to solving the inflation problem? Buttons reading WIN (Whip Inflation Now).

Ford did an admirable job healing the nation after a period of assassinations, Vietnam, and Watergate. Pardoning Nixon was the best course of action. Nixon resigning from office was appropriate punishment, and there was no need for a trial that would last for years, which, if anything, wouldn't land Nixon in jail. Also, as an earlier poster stated, a trial would've tainted America's image around the world. My biggest criticism of Ford was his signing the executive order barring the assassination of foreign heads of state. Sorry, but if we're in a firefight with a despotic dictator nearby who won't surrender, they should meet the same fate as Hussein's toady boys, Uday and Qusay.

Just scanning the list i am shocked to see this man ranked so high. I read his biography, saw him do a speech and beleave the man is a great person, but as for his role as president he didn't leave much of a legacy.

Gerald R. Ford took over in a very difficult time in American history and if it were not for a terrible performance in the debates with Jimmy Carter, he would have been elected to a second term. Had Ford won a second term, the Iranian hostage crisis would have turned out much differently....

Very underrated. Handled Mayaguez situation admirably. Helped the economy. Created 4 million jobs, cut taxes, housing up 38%, bettered Head Start. Most importantly, he brought peace to the world and brought peace to this country.

Gerald Ford did a good job considering the circumstances he assumed the presidency. Poor guy simply couldn't get a break. The first big decision had to make was whether or not he would pardon President Nixon for crime committed during Watergate. I believe pardoning Nixon was the right decision. For a president to resign disgraced from office was punishment enough. The country needed to move on as well, to have a President go to trial for two to three years would have put a cloud on Ford's Presidency and that wasn't something he wanted. Besides, Nixon wouldn't have received any jail time for his crimes even if he was convicted, the whole thing would have just been symbolic. The country needed closure. He could have given the people more heads up about it to prepare for the decision, it would softened the impact, but I believe that it was very brave of him to have done that. As for the substance of his Presidency itself, he acutally did a reasonably good job. Problem was that a highly re... Read more

Did nothing

The accidental president. Nice man, but too much a believer in big government to rally the Republican side in 1976.

The last great Republican president. He took over from a man who was dishonest to the core and restored dignity to the office. It is sad that his respectability fell afoul of the conservative and fundamentalist elements of his party, because he deserved a term of his own.

Gerald Ford led the nation in the post-Watergate era. Almost no one who worked with him has anything but positives to say for him. He did what he knew was the right thing, even though it cost him the election. We need more presidents like Ford.

The problem with this guy is that he played too much football back in the days when helmets were no more than leather caps. This showed later on. Ford not only pardoned Nixon, which was one of the biggest insults ever paid to the American People, the political process and our way of life, but he also was a prominent member of that criminal conspiracy and ultimate whitewash known as "The Warren Commission." One of the most ineffectual Presidents ever as he and his people didn't have a clue about handling a most sluggish economy, which resulted in Jimmy Carter inheriting a slew of problems that Nixon and Ford made worse because of their incompetance. Ford also failed to heed the discord and anti-American sentiment that was brewing in the Arab nations, and the upshot of this was the beginning of the era of Islamic Terrorism. This guy had difficulty chewing gum and walking at the same time, and he was such a clumsy putz of misery that the voters turned him out after two years of lamen... Read more

Posititve Attributes: Considering the circumstances upon which he assumed office, Gerald Ford gains my respect for at least attempting to pull the nation together. It was obvious that the nation liked him at first, as he had a 71% approval rating less than two months after assuming office. I too believe that pardoning Richard Nixon was the right thing to do, as it was in the best interests of the country. A former President going to prison for fraud would've been an embarrassment to the United States overseas, and I believe that Nixon was an effective President who gave something to the people, so as abichara1882 said, resigning as a disgraced President was punishment enough for Nixon. I respect Nixon for his handling of the Mayaguez situation in Cambodia. I believe that Gerald Ford was an honest and well-intentioned man who had the country's best interests in his mind, sometimes alienating his own party for his support of campaign finance reform (he even signed a campaign finance refo... Read more

Would be a 5, but hey, you CAN'T play golf in 96 degree weather when you're 89.

Watch out for that slick staircase! D'oh!

Did the right thing - polictal courage is worth alot.

The right man at the right time. We did not need an overly charismatic man as president in 1974-1976. We needed a good man with strong convictions, who would do what was right. The Nixon pardon hurt him in'76, but history seems to indicate it was the right thing to do.

Come on, he pardoned Nixon. And as a former President he's done nothing but play golf.

It makes me sick to see how unappreciatively Gerald Ford's duty and service to this country is looked upon. A man of extraordinary courage and loyalty, he sacrificed his career in a single act of courage because it was right for the country, I can only pray that in time he will get the credit that he most certainly deserve.

He was at his best handling the Mayaguez ordeal. And overall, he seemed to have the country's best interests at heart. But the poor guy declared one year of his term the "Year of the Woman." Then 2 different women tried to assassinate him. That's the thanks he got for kowtowing to the feminists.

NEXT TIME DONT PARDON NIXON

An abomination.

A true yes man.

Ruby alot of presidents are in rough spots, some shine, some don't. Ford didn't and he pardoned Nixon.

Pardon me for the low rating.

Everyone wants to talk about pardons. How about pardoning Nixon????? How bad was that?????

Should have stayed in football, would have been more fun.