I absorb an event such as a president’s passing very deeply. We only have so many presidents in a lifetime. Ford is only the third president to pass away in my lifetime. America went about 20 years without any president dying. Nixon’s death in 1994 was the first in my lifetime. And then it was another 11 years until Reagan died in 2005. And now Ford. I wouldn’t be surprised if people are thinking, “Enough about Ford already!” But the fanfare is deserved. The passing of any president deserves great retrospection.

There is near universal agreement that Ford was a solidly decent man, and by all accounts, he lost the 1976 election to Carter because of his pardon of Nixon. I knew that election had been close, but I didn’t realize how angry people were about the pardon. (It’s perfectly understandable, though). It does seem, in hindsight, to most that Ford made the right decision, as the country would’ve been consumed by the Nixon affair for years.

Speaking of solidly decent men, I think John Edwards is one, and I’m glad he’ll be running for president. I remember thinking of him as a moderate who didn’t believe in a lot of the liberal positions I held back when I was supporting Howard Dean a few years back. But I do realize that someone matching my views isn’t going to be the nominee. And of the choice is between Edwards, Obama, and Clinton, I think I’ll go towards Edwards for now. He does seem genuine every time I have seen him interviewed and the one time I saw him in person. I also like Elizabeth a lot. I haven’t been motivated to continue listening to Obama’s book. He’s bright, articulate, and principled, like Edwards, but I find him to be too wooden and detached. Much is made of Obama’s race, but I think Edwards actually will appeal more to black voters. But I know it’s very early. I’m not thinking about this much. I just mention Edwards tonight because he’s going to be announcing tomorrow, and I think he’s a good guy.