President Ford's death reminds us that in moments of crisis America has often benefited from extraordinary leaders.  Gerald Ford was one of those leaders.  His pardon of Richard Nixon was seen at the time as an unseemly political move but history "clarified" events according to Senator Edward Kennedy, one of Ford's critics in the 1970s.  Ford won the "Profile in Courage Award" in 2001 and Kennedy said at the awards ceremony:   

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.

According to the Kennedy Center:

A distinguished bipartisan committee of national political and community leaders selected Ford and Lewis for the prestigious awards for political courage. The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is presented annually to an elected official who has withstood strong opposition from constituents, powerful interest groups or adversaries to follow what she or he believes is the right course of action. The award is named for President Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. Senators who risked their careers to fight for what they believed in.

"For more than a quarter century, Gerald Ford proved to the people of Michigan, the Congress, and our nation that politics can be a noble profession," said Caroline Kennedy in presenting the Profile in Courage Award to the former president. "As President, he made a controversial decision of conscience to pardon former president Nixon and end the national trauma of Watergate. In doing so, he placed his love of country ahead of his own political future."

The friendship that grew between Ford and President Carter, the man who beat Ford, became an important one.  Not only did it show the power of reconciliation as a virtue in public life but the two were able to speak out on important issues with a bi-partisan voice.  For example, the two spoke out against the impeachment of President Clinton. 

The American people were fortunate to have President Ford for his brief tour of duty in the White House.

Let us pray for his family during this time of loss.

Photo credit #1: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gf38.html

Photo credit # 2: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs/Profile+in+Courage+Award/Award+Recipients/Gerald+Ford/