Posted by Mark Silva at 10:30 am CST
President Bush has declared that there will be a national day of mourning in memory of President Gerald Ford, who died at the age of 93 on Tuesday.
The president will announce that date soon, and the government's flags also will be flown at half-staff for 30 days in honor of the late 38th president, according to a proclamation that Bush issued today:
ANNOUNCING THE DEATH OF GERALD R. FORD
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES:
It is my sad duty to announce officially the death of Gerald R. Ford, the thirty-eighth President of the United States, on December 26, 2006.
President Ford was a great man who devoted the best years of his life to serving the United States of America. He was also a true gentleman who reflected the best in America's character. Before the world knew his name, he served with distinction in the United States Navy and the United States House of Representatives. As a congressman from Michigan, and then as Vice President, he commanded the respect and earned the goodwill of all who had the privilege of knowing him. On August 9, 1974, he stepped into the presidency without having ever sought the office.
During his time in office, the American people came to know President Ford as a man of complete integrity, who led our country with common sense and kind instincts. Americans will always admire Gerald Ford's unflinching performance of duty, the honorable conduct of his Administration, and the great rectitude of the man himself. We mourn the loss of such a leader, and our thirty-eighth President will always have a special place in our Nation's memory.
President Ford lived 93 years, and his life was a blessing to America. Now this fine man will be taken to his rest by a family that will love him always and by a Nation that will be grateful to him forever.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, in honor and tribute to the memory of Gerald R. Ford, and as an expression of public sorrow, do hereby direct that the flag of the United States be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on all buildings, grounds, and Naval vessels of the United States for a period of 30 days from the day of his death. I also direct that for the same length of time, the representatives of the United States in foreign countries shall make similar arrangements for the display of the flag at half-staff over their Embassies, Legations, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and stations.
I hereby order that suitable honors be rendered by units of the Armed Forces under orders of the Secretary of Defense.
In a further expression of our national grief, I will appoint in a subsequent proclamation a National Day of Mourning throughout the United States when the American people may assemble in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President Ford.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty‑seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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Comments
This is an appropriate response to a national loss.
GWB should also issue a proclamation calling for another day of mourning, and an additional 30 days of flags at half mast to honor the troops who have been lost in Iraq & Afghanistan. This was done after 9/11, and since the number of casualties in the wars has now exceeded the numbers killed in that attack, it would be an appropriate time to remember.
Posted by: Tony | December 27, 2006 10:58 AM
Three cheers for the guy who freed Poland from Soviet domination!
To many, it was a gaff.
But I was in Poland at the time and many Poles imagined a time when it could be true. That spark eventually led to the Solidarity movement.
Posted by: Howard C. | December 27, 2006 12:31 PM
Rest in peace, President Ford. We'll miss your wit, pragmatism, and heart. Three qualities that today's politicians clearly haven't been watching enough of you to learn about.
Posted by: Bill | December 27, 2006 1:24 PM
President Ford was also one of the most athletic presidents we've ever had. He was the MVP of an undefeated National Champion Michigan Football team in 1933 and won another national championship in 1932. He played center. Here's a wistful look at President Ford's athletic accomplishments in and out of office.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2709062
I'd wager that only George H.W. Bush could come close to him as recent "jock" presidents.
Posted by: Bill | December 27, 2006 2:15 PM
This was a President who never wanted the Presidency, who took over for a leader who left our country in turmoil. He was someone to be respected and admired, he was truly a gentleman. A man who believed in the democracy of our great nation, and all the powers it bestows. Some will be critical of his pardoning President Nixon, but I believe he did what was right, not just for the political machine but for the country. We needed closure and he gave it to us. We needed to believe in our President and thru him we believed.
Posted by: Leslie Seinfeld | December 27, 2006 2:55 PM
Bill,
Give me GRF at center, GHWB at tackle and JFK at quarterback. As for the rest, they can join W with his megaphone.
GRF was one of the last of the true old repubs. His intellect, calm demeanor and decency will be missed. RIP
Posted by: Bubba | December 27, 2006 6:54 PM
Now that GRF has joined the heavenly body of illustrious leaders of this country, we are faced with the prospect of selecting a corresponding replacement for our present incompetent leader. And none have come on the scene as of yet. We are in trouble.
Posted by: gac12 | December 27, 2006 8:24 PM
Thanks to President George W. Bush for his recognition of a great man.
Being the President is an extremely had job. We are hard pressed to find good moral, intelligent people who are not worried about being politically correct but instead are concerned with what's best for Our Country.
Billy was a joke as was his wife. There aren't many people truly interested in representing and working for the true good of the American citizens. They're more interested in their own gain.
Gerald... you will miss you.
Aloha.
Posted by: Peggy | December 27, 2006 10:51 PM
Meanwhile, Woodward just released tapes of an embargoed interview with Ford which says, more or less, that Bush, Cheney and Rumseld were putzes for going into Iraq.
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/12/ford-disagreed-with-bush-cheney-rummy.html
Just great. I always liked old Jerry. And I'm going to like him more as I watch the Commander in Chimp and his minions try to put a pretty face on this one.
Posted by: bb | December 27, 2006 11:46 PM
R.I.P.
President Ford you made our nation proud at a very difficult time. You had a very high mountain to climb and you did it with kindness and compassion for your fellow man. Peace to your family.
Posted by: Honeybe | December 28, 2006 7:24 AM
Here's a NYT article about Jerry Ford.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/opinion/28drury.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Posted by: c.morris | December 28, 2006 9:11 AM
Honeybe, I'd add that by serving with distinction and running a very competitive campaign against Carter in 1976 GRF saved the American Presidency from what was a very real threat to its relevance at the time. A lesser man would have buckled under the pressure, but not Ford.
Posted by: Bill | December 28, 2006 11:54 AM
Bubba, let's put Reagan at running back, LBJ at tight end and Nixon at third-string lineman. Cheney can wear the mascot suit and help dubya with his cheers.
Posted by: Bill | December 28, 2006 12:38 PM
GRF was the last of the grand old republicans. Even I, a true democrat, understand how the best republicans balance solid democrats, leading and blending a proud America to do the right thing for the past 200 years.
I agree his intellect, calm demeanor and decency will be missed by Michigan and the country.
The Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bush regime cannot touch or hope to this true American. Iraq is our national shame. The White House has quickly pointed out "this will be an understated memorial to GRF, as GRF understood he was the only President, not elected by the American people"
But was George II elected by the American people or by the Supreme Court musical chairs? What oil country and group did the 9/11 path really stem from? Are Defense Contractors cartels systematically eating up all the American tax dollars and destroying the middle class and retirement systems?
We are in trouble as a country and face not years, but decades and perhaps a full century of real uncertainty.
God Bless you, President Ford and your strong, exemplar and lovely wife, Betty. We will miss you.
Jeanne/Muskegon
Posted by: JK Caruso | December 29, 2006 6:59 AM
A GOOD DECISION CONCERNING SOME!
Posted by: peterc | December 29, 2006 6:38 PM
Dear democrat friends, try to remember this is a memorial thread for President Ford and not a platform for you to air your grievances with the Bush administration.
Remember the last time you thought it was appropriate to air your political slings and arrows at a memorial ceremony? If you don't I can tell you what happened. Most distinguished guests left disgusted and a month later Norm Coleman was elected to the U.S. Senate while Walter Mondale was rightfully stuck back into the recycle bin of electoral history where he belongs.
Posted by: Bill | January 1, 2007 3:30 PM
Bill,
Don't you dare lecture Democrats on how to be respectful.
Consider how people from your side of the aisle responded to the assasinations of Kennedy, King and Kennedy.
As for Ford, he was a tool and no one seems to get it. His pardon of Nixon wasn't anything out of line for this consummate politician. He washed over the investigation into the Kennedy assasination in the Warren Report; he pardoned Nixon which made it easier for Bush to pardon Weinberger; and he had the audacity to ask Clinton to accept a censure from the Senate. (NOTE: Clinton deserved impeachment for lying to a grand jury. Nixon deserved prosecution for what HE did to the country. THAT is justice.)
Ford's pardon of Nixon helped reaffirm the two systems of justice: one for the priveleged and incarceration for the less priveleged. THAT is his legacy.
All of this nonsense about "helping the country heal" is propaganda. If we can't stomach the prosecution of criminal behavior by our politicians, then we might as well hang this republic up.
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | January 2, 2007 2:19 PM