| REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY - SANDY K. BARUAH, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING FOR PRESIDENT FORD MESSAGE TO EDA PERSONNEL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2006 | AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
Dear EDA Colleagues: By Executive Order, President George W. Bush has proclaimed Tuesday, January 2, 2007 a National Day of Mourning to honor our 38th President, Gerald R. Ford. As such, all federal offices will be closed on this day. As you enjoy this additional respite from your official EDA duties, I hope you will take a moment to remember and be thankful for the significant contribution President Ford made to this nation.Most of us are old enough to remember the moment Gerald Ford became President of the United States. It was a time of immense turmoil and uncertainty: the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the height of the Cold War, a struggling economy, and of course, the first resignation of a President in U.S. history all immediately confronted Gerald Ford’s ascendancy to the Presidency. This past Wednesday, President Bush said, “Gerald Ford came along when we needed him most.” America could not be in stronger agreement. Without fanfare, political pandering, or rhetorical excess, President Ford simply went to work on our nation’s challenges. In his first State of Union address in January 1975, President Ford had the courage to say that “the state of the Union is not good.” This statement along with Ford’s famous “I am a Ford, not a Lincoln” comment set a tone for honesty, integrity, candor, and old fashioned hard work. During President Ford’s tenure, inflation was cut by half, employment rose, the Vietnam War ended, the Soviet Union acknowledged the importance of individual human rights, our dialog with China was enhanced, and our nation celebrated its 200th birthday. Despite the situation Ford inherited as he entered the Oval Office, he came within a razor’s edge of being elected to his own term in 1976. Gerald Ford once said, “I have had a lot of adversaries in my political life, but no enemies that I can remember.” In fact, those who knew Ford widely acclaim him as the most decent, modest, and gracious gentleman they had ever met. He set the standard for civility in political discussion and gave clear meaning to the term disagree without being disagreeable. Despite President Ford’s emphasis on bi-partisanship and cordial relations, he never shied away from making difficult, even controversial, decisions. The pardon of Richard Nixon, his record 66 vetoes, his bold action to rescue the Khmer Rouge-seized Mayaguez and other actions proved that nice guys can indeed be tough and decisive. President Ford had a profound impact on me as a child growing up in South Dakota and Oregon. It was Gerald Ford who first inspired me to public service and it is his example of honesty, candor, and civility that I strive for every day. It brings me tremendous satisfaction that President Ford’s reputation has grown ever stronger in the 30 years since he left office. Time has a way of putting events into better perspective. At the presentation of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award to President Ford in 2001, Senator Ted Kennedy stated that he was wrong and that President Ford was right in the pardoning of Richard Nixon – a view most all Americans now share.President Gerald R. Ford left America in better condition than when he inherited it – a priceless contribution for which we all owe an undying debt of gratitude – and an example for all of us to emulate.May God bless Gerald R. Ford and the United States of America.# # #
|
|   |
