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cab67

(3,888 posts)

29. This is why I lay part of the blame for our current political mess at the feet....

Reply to dem4decades (Reply #6)

Wed Jun 17, 2026, 12:45 PM

21 hrs ago

....of Gerald Ford.

His decision to pardon Nixon didn't heal America. It let the wound fester, and it taught future wrongdoers how to avoid accountability. We saw "let's heal" and "let's look forward" after Iran-Contra and the Iraq War, both of which I think were worse than Watergate. (As much as I respect Barack Obama, I still haven't forgiven him for that last one.) The rationale was the same in both cases - Ford "healed" America by looking forward, so later presidents would, too.

Had Nixon been truly held accountable, in my opinion, some subsequent scandals might have been avoided.

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