[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 3 (Monday, January 8, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S206-S210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING PRESIDENT GERALD FORD
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, many praiseworthy things have been said
about Gerald Rudolph Ford over the past 2 weeks, and this is good. It
is good to see so many people speak so well of a man who was often
wrongly criticized in life, and it has been uplifting to watch an
entire nation stop and reflect on what it means to live a good life,
good to see that old virtues still have the power to inspire.
Of course, Gerald Ford didn't seek out the Presidency, and certainly
he came into the highest elected position in the land in the
unlikeliest of ways.
I was recently reminded that his life didn't get off to the most
promising start. Born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., in Omaha, NE, his mother
and father divorced when he was 2.
His mother picked up and moved back home to Grand Rapids, where she
married a paint and varnish salesman. Gerald Ford, Sr., gave Dorothy
three more boys--and her first son a new name that he would carry into
history.
The childhood home was pleasant, but since money was tight, Junior
had to mow lawns and grill hamburgers after school.
The experiences of the boy had an effect on the man: Ford would later
gain a reputation in Congress as a fiscal conservative, as someone who
thought that Government, like any household, should live within its
budget. He didn't learn this from a policy paper. He didn't need to.
We have heard that Gerald Ford was a great athlete, that he could
have played with the Packers or the Lions, but he took a job as an
assistant coach at Yale instead. And determined to go to Yale Law
School, he convinced the faculty to let him on parttime. They did.
Gerry Ford once said:
The harder you work, the luckier you are. I worked like
hell.
He ended up in the top fourth of a law school class that included a
future Supreme Court Justice, a future Secretary of State--and a future
President.
We have heard how President Ford signed up for the Navy after Pearl
Harbor; that he put duty and country first, and nearly got swept off
the deck of the USS Monterey in the middle of a typhoon. It wouldn't be
his last brush with an early death.
And we have heard a love story: that Ford came home to Michigan after
the war and married a pretty young dancer named Betty Bloomer; that he
started to think about politics, and that Betty wasn't worried at all
about it distracting from family life. ``I never thought he'd win,''
she said.
But, of course, he did.
The Fords moved east, and decided to stay awhile, and stayed together
through it all--until last week, when Betty, older now but no less
graceful, said good-bye to her husband, the President, in the same
church where they said ``I do'' 58 years ago.
We have been inspired by the story of President Ford's political
career--how he didn't make a name for himself with high-profile
speeches or partisan broadsides; how he did his job, and did it well,
in big and little things.
He built a reputation as someone who could bridge the gap, who
brought people together and worked problems out. Gerry Ford summed up
his approach to lawmaking this way:
[[Page S207]]
You have to give a little, take a little, to get what you
really want. But you don't give up your principles.
All this is what we have heard about Gerald Rudolph Ford's life
before the President of the United States called him at home on October
6, 1973, to see if he would be willing to replace a Vice President who
had resigned in disgrace.
Congressmen all over Washington were sitting by their phones that
night, hoping the call would come for them. Gerry Ford was swimming
laps.
And 8 months later, when the President himself resigned, Ford was
there again.
There's a plaque at the Ford library which says that Gerald Ford may
have been among the unluckiest Presidents of the 20th century. Where I
come from we don't call that luck. We call it providence.
As Ford himself put it: 1975 was ``not a time for summer soldiers and
sunshine patriots. It was a year of fears and alarms.'' Gerry Ford was
the right man for the moment because he was a good man all along.
And what did he bring to the presidency? Exactly what we needed in
that dark and painful hour: honesty, simplicity, and what he liked to
call, ``a little straight talk''.
Ford's sincerity may have been his greatest gift, but it almost
surely cost him the greatest honor the voters could have given him. He
told them plainly, just a few months after taking the oath, that the
state of the Union wasn't good.
He gave them bad news again the next year, an election year when most
people would have been tempted to gloss over problems. The state of the
Union was better, he said, but it still wasn't good enough.
And when he lost, he wasn't bitter. He even made a point to make sure
the transition was smooth. He didn't want Jimmy Carter to face the same
problems he did, he said.
I remember those days. I was a young lawyer in Ford's Justice
Department. I remember how the new President restored hope in our
country, in the presidency, and in the Republican Party.
I remember how he lost his own race for reelection but cleared the
way for another great Midwesterner to win 4 years later.
This Nation has owed a tribute to Gerald Ford for a long time, and it
is good that he has gotten it in these last days.
In weaker moments, we tend to think that victory goes to the fast,
the brilliant, the well-born. But in one of our Nation's weakest
moments, Gerald Ford showed us leadership through the gentlemanly
virtues of honesty, integrity, and plain hard work.
The tributes now are almost done. But the greatest tribute we can
give to Gerald Rudolph Ford lies ahead. The American people have shown
how much they admire leaders who are honest, straightforward, kind.
In the early days of a new session, we best honor the memory of our
38th President, and the Nation he loved and served so well, by making
those qualities our own.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the Senator
from Virginia.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank our distinguished majority leader
and minority leader for their initiative in putting this resolution
together. I, also, thank both of our distinguished leaders for
including in the resolution a reference to the action by the Senate, an
initiative we took in the Senate Armed Services Committee at the time
that I was privileged to be chairman and the distinguished Senator from
Michigan, Mr. Levin, was the ranking member, to name one of America's
future aircraft carriers, now under construction, the USS Gerald R.
Ford. This initiative then was taken into consideration by the
Department of Defense, the Secretary at that time, and, indeed, the
Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary of the Navy has, traditionally,
responsibility for the naming of ships. And whereas the Armed Services
Committee recommended during floor consideration of the annual defense
authorization bill that the naming be written in law, in conference, at
the request of the Secretary of the Navy, we made it a sense of the
Congress.
The Department of Defense will host a ceremony on January 16th, with
the Ford family and others to formally name the ship in honor of
President Ford.
I, also, thank Jack Marsh, former Secretary of the Army and former
counselor to President Ford, for his participation in the effort by the
Senate to take this initiative, as well as former Secretary of Defense
Melvin Laird. I collaborated with both of those distinguished
gentlemen. Secretary Laird was a lifetime friend and served in Congress
with, then, Gerald Ford.
As we go forth in our careers, we always should look back to
acknowledge those who made it possible for us to achieve our goals. I
am always very humbled by the many people who helped inspire me to run
for the Senate and who helped me win election. Gerald Ford was right
there at the beginning of my first race with sound, practical advice.
I ask the indulgence of my colleagues where I recount some of that
advice: It started, I remember, in the summer of 1960. I was an advance
man for then Vice President Nixon. We were on a campaign train trip
through the Middle Western States, that included a stop in Michigan.
This was the old-fashioned train with the observation car, where the
candidate would go out on the rear platform and give a speech to the
crowds that gathered in all the little towns and communities along the
route. But we had one very memorable stop, I remember the town was
Muskegon, Michigan.
My job was to get the candidate, the Vice President, and some of his
senior staff off the train and to the auditorium in town. In performing
these tasks, I was joined by an elected Michigan official. In a moment,
I will provide his name. As we entered the building, we went into a
holding area. I was awaiting a cue from the master of ceremonies on
stage to bring on the Vice President. He was escorted by this local
official. As we were waiting, unbeknownst to us, in the balcony, some
mischievous people--I don't think it was evil, but it was mischievous--
suddenly pelted us all with raw eggs. There we were, the Vice President
with eggs streaming down off him. I took out my handkerchief and did
the best I could to polish him up a bit, and the local official did the
same. The Vice President went on the stage, fully composed, and gave an
excellent speech.
I went back to the train thinking that I would be severely
reprimanded and my first job in politics terminated. Well, it turns out
that the local official who helped me get him up to the stage and who
also helped to polish-up the Vice President joined me in the
observation car, where they were serving beer. As he came in, I thanked
him, but said: You know, I think this is the end of my political
career.
And he said: Why so?
And I described my responsibility. And he then said: Well, of course,
I am a local Congressman and I should bear the responsibility.
And we joined each other with a beer, he said to me: You know, I
think both of us will survive.
That was Gerald Ford, showing the magnanimity of that marvelous man
and his understanding of those types of situations.
I want to thank that wonderful American for his contribution to
inspire me later in years to try for the Senate. He was then Vice
President, and he used to counsel me on how to get started in public
life. I was then Secretary of the Navy, having succeeded John Chafee, a
former Member of this body, the much revered Senator from Rhode Island.
And John Chafee had left the Navy Secretary's Office and ran for the
Senate and was defeated in his first bid. And I was ready to plunge in
and try my first race when Ford said to me: No, you want to kind of get
behind you this career in the Department of Defense, because it was a
highly controversial period of history. There was much concern among
the citizenry, not unlike what we see today.
I took his advice. And he said: Go run the Bicentennial. I will get
you appointed to that Presidential Office.
I said: Mr. President, I don't even know how to spell the word.
He said: Study up on it.
Not only did he do that, but he came down as Vice President and
administered the oath to me on the steps of his beloved House of
Representatives. The Bicentennial was a marvelous career opportunity to
learn the fundamentals of public office. I worked with him
[[Page S208]]
closely, took an enormous interest, as he knew the Bicentennial would
become a healing mechanism for the country in the aftermath of
Watergate. He was right. I traveled with him on July 4, 1976, in his
helicopter, and we made stops along the way. I will never forget going
to New York Harbor on the final day of the two year celebration. And
there we were on the deck of a carrier. And he struck the ship's bell
such that it triggered church bells all across the United States to
celebrate that day in American history.
While we were standing there, he told me about his trip to sea in
1944. I read from his biography:
His closest call with death came not as a result of enemy
fire, however, but during a vicious typhoon in the Philippine
Sea in December 1944. He came within inches of being swept
overboard while the storm raged. The ship, which was severely
damaged by the storm and the resulting fire, had to be taken
out of service. Ford spent the remainder of the war ashore
and was discharged as a lieutenant commander in February
1946.
During the course of the war, he was awarded the Bronze Star, and
other decorations for his valiant service. But I remember when I went
overseas in 1951, as a communications officer for a Marine Corps
squadron. We were aboard the same class of ship. It was a small
carrier. We also went through a typhoon in the South Pacific en route
to Korea. It was 72 hours of memory that will never be erased, but I
know what he went through because I think that typhoon was far more
severe than the one our ship experienced. So I take my hat off to this
magnificent American, who was among those who made it possible for me,
in many respects, to eventually be privileged to represent the State of
Virginia in the Senate.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the sense of
Congress naming the CVN-78 aircraft carrier as the USS Gerald R. Ford
be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
SEC. 1012. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON NAMING THE CVN-78 AIRCRAFT
CARRIER AS THE U.S.S. GERALD R. FORD.
1. (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Gerald R. Ford has served his country with honor and
distinction for the past 64 years, and continues to serve.
(2) Gerald R. Ford was commissioned in the Naval Reserve in
1942 and served valiantly at sea on the U.S.S. Monterey (CVL-
26) during World War II, taking part in major operations in
the Pacific, including at Makin Island, Kwajalein, Truk,
Saipan, and the Philippine Sea.
(3) Gerald R. Ford received 9 engagement stars and 2 bronze
stars for his service in the Navy during World War II.
(4) Gerald R. Ford was first elected to the House of
Representatives in 1948.
(5) During 25 years of service in the House of
Representatives, Gerald R. Ford distinguished himself by an
exemplary record for character, decency, and trustworthiness.
(6) Throughout his service in the House of Representatives,
Gerald R. Ford was an ardent proponent of strong national
defense and international leadership by the United States.
(7) From 1965 to 1973, Gerald R. Ford served as minority
leader of the House of Representatives, raising the standard
for bipartisanship in his tireless fight for freedom, hope,
and justice.
(8) In 1973, Gerald R. Ford was appointed by President
Nixon to the office of Vice President of the United States
under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, having been
confirmed by overwhelming majorities in both Houses of
Congress.
(9) On August 9, 1974, Gerald R. Ford became the 38th
President of the United States, taking office during one of
the most challenging periods in the history of the United
States.
(10) As President from August 9, 1974, to January 20, 1977,
Gerald R. Ford restored the faith of the people of the United
States in the office of the President through his steady
leadership, courage, and ultimate integrity.
(11) As President, Gerald R. Ford helped restore the
prestige of the United States in the world community by
working to achieve peace in the Middle East, preserve detente
with the Soviet Union, and set new limits on the spread of
nuclear weapons.
(12) As President, Gerald R. Ford served as Commander in
Chief of the Armed Forces with great dignity, supporting a
strong Navy and a global military presence for the United
States and honoring the members of the Armed Forges.
(13) Since leaving the office of President, Gerald R. Ford
has been an international ambassador of American goodwill, a
noted scholar and lecturer, a strong supporter of human
rights, and a promoter of higher education.
(14) Gerald R. Ford was awarded the Medal of Freedom and
the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999 in recognition of his
contribution to the Nation.
(15) As President, Gerald R. Ford bore the weight of a
constitutional crisis and guided the Nation on a path of
healing and restored hope, earning forever the enduring
respect and gratitude of the Nation.
(b) Naming of CVN-78 Aircraft Carrier.--It is the sense of
Congress that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the
Navy designated as CVN-78 should be named the U.S.S. Gerald
R. Ford.
Mr. WARNER. I yield the floor.
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to honor one of Michigan's
great sons. Today we honor the remarkable life and lasting legacy of
President Gerald R. Ford. I thank our leaders and colleagues for the
wonderful tribute that will be voted on at noontime today.
This past week our Nation mourned the passing of a President, while
Michigan mourned the loss of a family member. Throughout his decades in
public service, including a quarter century representing Michigan in
the Congress, Gerald Ford worked tirelessly to serve the people and the
interests of our great State and his beloved country.
It is an honor that the State of Michigan will serve as the final
resting place for one of our Nation's great leaders. The funeral last
Wednesday, which I was fortunate enough to attend, was truly a moving
tribute to a man who cared deeply for the city of Grand Rapids, his
home State of Michigan, and the country. The thousands of mourners who
came to pay their respects is evidence of what he meant to us. People
standing in line for hours, on into the night, and the wonderful,
gracious way the family greeted so many of those coming to show their
respect for Gerald Ford was a wonderful, meaningful act to watch.
I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to speak about
Gerald Ford's family. Betty Ford's grace and strength throughout the
past few weeks have stood as a reminder not only of the importance of
family in the life of Gerald Ford but also how much she has given to
America through her courage, her example, and her charity. Betty Ford
stood shoulder to shoulder with President Ford as a true partner
throughout his life, while redefining the role of First Lady and
serving the country with her own dedicated work on issues such as
alcohol and drug abuse. Together the Fords raised four remarkable
children--Michael, John, Steven, and Susan. It is a testimony to Gerald
Ford's character that he will be remembered not only as a great leader
but as a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
Born July 14, 1913, in Omaha, NE, Ford moved at a young age with his
mother to Grand Rapids, MI, to live with his stepfather.
While attending South High School in Grand Rapids, Ford proved
himself an academic and athletic prodigy, being named not only to the
honor society but all-city and all-State football teams.
In 1931, Gerald Ford entered the University of Michigan, playing
center and linebacker for the Wolverines. He played on two undefeated
teams and was named the team's most outstanding player in 1934. Ford's
legacy will always be felt at the university. To this day, his number
28 is one of only 5 football jerseys retired by the University of
Michigan, while the School of Public Policy bearing his name will shape
and produce America's leaders for generations to come.
Gerald Ford's childhood in Grand Rapids and his education both on and
off the field at the University of Michigan helped forge a man whose
character and actions throughout his life exemplified what is best
about Michigan--hard work, loyalty, honesty, and selflessness.
After graduating from Michigan, Ford rebuffed offers from the Detroit
Lions and the Green Bay Packers in order to attend Yale University Law
School. He continued his love of athletics there by serving as a boxing
coach and assistant varsity football coach. In 1941, he earned his law
degree from Yale, graduating in the top quarter of his class.
Gerald Ford then returned to the city he considered his home, Grand
Rapids, to practice law before joining the U.S. Naval Reserve in April
1942, serving as an assistant navigator with the USS Monterey in the
Pacific during World War II. Ford was discharged from the Navy in 1946
as a lieutenant commander, returning to Michigan to practice law.
[[Page S209]]
Entering politics with the encouragement of his stepfather, Gerald
Ford ran for Congress in 1948, unseating incumbent Bartel Jonkman in
the primary and going on to receive 61 percent of the vote in the
general election. Gerald Ford would go on to represent the people of
Michigan in Congress for the next 25 years, in 1965 rising to become
the minority leader in the House.
In late 1973, Ford was called on to serve the country in a different
capacity, as we all know, being named and confirmed Vice President.
Within 8 short months, he was again called on to take the mantle of
responsibility he had not sought, taking the oath of office as the 38th
President of the United States. Stepping into the Oval Office during
one of America's greatest constitutional crises, President Ford's quiet
demeanor and steady hand helped calm a nation and kept the Government
moving forward during some of its darkest days.
It is a testament to President Ford and his time in public office,
highlighted by his years in the White House, that even those who
disagreed with his policy positions respected him as a person and a
public servant. Gerald Ford dedicated his life to make our State and
our Nation a better place to live, work, and raise a family. He was a
man who understood that integrity and service are more than just words,
they are ideals--ideals he learned in our wonderful Michigan and
practiced every day of his life.
As a husband, a father, a Congressman, and our President, he led
quietly by example, earning respect and friendship on both sides of the
aisle through the hard work and honesty for which he was known.
President Ford was a man utterly deserving of the words inscribed on a
football resting on a homemade memorial outside the Ford Museum in
Grand Rapids this week:
A true American and a hometown hero.
President Ford, we thank you for your service. You will be missed.
Our continuing prayers and support go to your family.
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am very pleased the Senate is formally
expressing its respect and appreciation for the life and public service
of President Gerald R. Ford.
No person in public service in my memory did more to restore
confidence in our political institutions than President Ford.
He was a friend and mentor to me as a member of the body, giving me
sound advice and serving as a wonderful role model during my career in
Congress and in the Senate.
I admired him enormously. His seriousness of purpose and his common
sense approach to solving our national problems were qualities that
enabled him to give our nation a new sense of confidence and direction.
We are deeply grateful that he served so ably as our Republican
Leader in the House, Vice President, and President of the United
States.
Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I rise today in memory of Gerald Ford, the
38th President of the United States. President Ford shouldered his
burden with a unique sense of humility and good humor, in an office not
known for nourishing those traits. President Ford's unusual combination
of courage, strength, and conviction led America out of a deep crisis,
healing our wounds and strengthening our Constitution in the process.
Gerald Ford was a self-made Michigander who worked part-time jobs as
a young man to help support his family, and later to put himself
through Yale Law School. A man of many talents, he could have been a
professional football player, or lived well as an attorney. But
instead, he chose a life of service, first as a decorated naval
officer, then a 24-year Member of Congress, leader of his party in the
House of Representatives, and Presiding Officer of this Chamber as Vice
President.
Domestic turmoil and foreign policy challenges marked the mid-1970s,
and President Ford addressed them both. History has favorably judged
his actions to move the country beyond the Watergate scandal, although
he paid a heavy price at the time. He also acknowledged the severe
economic difficulties faced by millions of Americans and worked head-on
to alleviate them.
Despite the host of domestic challenges America faced, President Ford
remained a committed internationalist. He advanced the cause of peace
in the Middle East, helping to end hostilities between Israel and Egypt
and laying the groundwork for a peace between those two countries that
endures to this day. His backing of the Helsinki Accords, while
controversial, gave important support to dissidents living under Soviet
rule who sought respect for their human rights.
Throughout his life, Gerald Ford handled the responsibilities and
challenges that circumstance thrust on him without losing his
Midwestern openness and sensibility. To many who disagreed with him, he
still came across as a comforting figure who had the Nation's best
interests at heart. Central to this ability to connect with people was
his self-deprecating sense of humor, summed up by the quip, ``I'm a
Ford, not a Lincoln.''
And while he may not have been a Lincoln, he certainly was not a
common President. America is a better place because of him, and we all
owe President Ford and his wife, Betty, a tremendous debt of gratitude.
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to President
Gerald Ford. His passing on December 26, 2006, was marked with a
yearning for the unity he brought to our Nation over 30 years ago. I
extend my sincerest and most heartfelt sympathies to his family.
Gerald Ford and I were in Congress together for a brief period of
time. He was a friend to me when I was a freshman Senator and
throughout my career. I will always remember and appreciate his support
and counsel.
President Ford came into office at a very difficult time and faced
multiple tasks. He met those challenges and successfully brought the
Nation through a tumultuous period in the history of the presidency.
While his time in the White House was relatively short, his legacy
continues to persist. President Ford's leadership and credibility
worked to bring the Nation through the Watergate crisis and its
aftermath. That proved to be invaluable and underscored the resiliency
of our democratic government.
My wife Nancy and I send our condolences and prayers to First Lady
Betty Ford and to the entire Ford family. We join the Nation in
mourning President Ford and in honoring a long life of service. May his
soul rest in peace.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
the 38th President of the United States.
Gerald Ford was an honest man, a modest man, and a patriotic man who
cared deeply about this country. During World War II, he answered his
Nation's call to duty, serving in the Navy aboard the USS Monterey in
the Pacific Theatre. He later trained new naval officers for sea duty.
Shortly after his discharge as a lieutenant commander in 1946, he began
his storied political career.
During his 25 years of service in the House of Representatives,
Gerald Ford earned the respect and admiration of nearly everyone in
Washington. Gerald Ford's impeccable integrity made him the ideal
choice to lead America at a time of considerable division.
When he was nominated by President Nixon to become Vice President, he
was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate and the House. The Senate
vote was 92-3, and the House vote was 387-35.
Before President Nixon submitted his nomination for Vice President,
he asked the leadership of both parties who they would choose were they
in his shoes. The obvious response was Gerald Ford.
When Gerald Ford assumed the Presidency following President Nixon's
resignation, he moved quickly to bring our country together. He did
this by always remaining true to his character. He also adhered to the
common-sense principles that guided him throughout his career and his
life. He never lost touch with his Midwestern values. And he never
wavered from doing what he thought was in the best interests of the
people of our country.
President Ford also attracted very talented employees. Among those
who served in the Ford Administration were Alan Greenspan, Council of
Economic Advisers; George H.W. Bush, CIA Director; James Baker,
Undersecretary of Commerce; Dick Cheney, Chief of Staff; and Donald
Rumsfeld, Chief of Staff and later Secretary of Defense.
I had the pleasure of working with President Ford when he appointed
me
[[Page S210]]
vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board in 1976.
President Ford was a reliable friend and invaluable counselor. I will
never forget his coming to Texas to campaign with me during my first
race for the Senate. President Ford was always available to offer
advice and remained in close touch with those of us who were his many
appointees, staff, and colleagues over the years. This is the kind of
person he was. It was an honor and a privilege to consider him a
friend.
He cared deeply for his family, for his loving wife Betty, and for
his four children: Michael, John, Steven, Susan.
He cared for everyone he came to know during his magnificent
political career.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Betty and the entire Ford family as
we honor a public servant who gave tirelessly to our country. He will
be missed.
____________________