Reid and Durbin...no class schmucks

HT To Drudgereport:

Reid to miss Ford funeral

By DENNIS CONRAD, Associated Press Writer Thu Dec 28, 12:08 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will miss the state funeral for former President Gerald Ford at the Capitol Rotunda on Saturday night, opting instead to lead a delegation to South America with an expected stop at the Machu Picchu Inca ruins.

Reid, D-Nev., left Wednesday afternoon from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland with a bipartisan group of five other senators, including Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the incoming assistant majority leader, for what has been described as a weeklong visit to Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.

The highlight of the trip is said to be separate meetings with the presidents of the three nations, with the last one scheduled in Peru on Tuesday afternoon.

"They would be difficult to cancel," Reid spokesman Jim Manley said via mobile phone as the congressional delegation took off in a U.S. military plane.

The senators are also scheduled to be in Cuzco, Peru, on Sunday, which would give them an opportunity to view the nearby Inca ruins and anything else in advance of New Year's Eve.

Manley said the senators opted to skip Ford-related ceremonies over the next few days because of the long-scheduled meetings with the South American presidents, noting that U.S. relations with some of the countries are in need of improvement.

Manley did not rule out the possibility that the delegation might return to Washington for at least one Ford-related event, perhaps a church service Tuesday morning. But their meeting with Peru's president, scheduled for the afternoon, could interfere with that, he said.

"Senator Reid has tried to reach Mrs. Ford," Manley said, adding that the senator had not received a return call from her before the delegation had departed for South America. Manley later added that Reid had called the former first lady to express condolences, and also to explain why the delegation might not make it back to Washington for the funeral.

Durbin's office released a statement before he left, calling Ford, who died Tuesday at age 93, "a man of principle, integrity and honesty who helped heal the nation during some of our darkest times." He offered his "deepest condolences" to the Ford family.

Other senators making the trip are Kent Conrad, D-N.D., Judd Gregg, R-N.H., Robert Bennett, R-Utah, and Ken Salazar, D-Colo.
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Why am I not surprised? Durbin and Reid are 2 first class schlemiels who dont deserve the offices they hold. Regardless of the difficulties in getting meetings scheduled with other Presidents, it would be understood if this entourage stayed behind and did the right thing in helping to honor a man who was our President.

Guaranteed they will be back to dance on Fords grave.

Stretch....stretch....stretch......ah there is it, a way to blame Bush

HT To Flopping Aces:

Can Cindy Sheehan get anymore nuttier?

Gerald Ford, our 38th and first ever un-elected President is dead.

[...]Usually, burying a 93 year old loved one is sorrowful but, I believe his pardon of Richard Nixon is one of the factors that have led to the untimely deaths of over 3000 American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in the Middle East.

What's her insane reasoning for this?

but since Nixon got away with his blatant crimes and every President since Nixon has skated away from office after having committed overt and covert crimes, we have on our hands, here, a situation that I am forced now to call: "Bloody George."

Because Nixon was pardoned this caused a chain effect of lawless Presidents that ultimately led to George Bush taking the war to the terrorists and taking down a tyrant who should of been taken down long before.

That's it in a nutshell.

Blame Bush! Blame Ford! They secretly sat around the fireplace smoking pipes as they hatched a plan that 30 years later would ensure the victory of someone who would invade Iraq.

Man o' man is this lady nuts or what?
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What hasnt Curt said that I cant add? Nothing, he says it all

Rules of flag etiquette

Former President Gerald R Ford died on Tuesday. From the book HONOR OUR FLAG How to care for, fly and otherwise respect the Stars and Stripes:

The flag in times of mourning

The flag can also be used to express sadness at the death of an important personor group of people *snip*

When raising the flag to half staff, always raise it briskly to the top of the flagpole for a moment before lowering it. When taking it down for the night, raise it up to the top of the flagpole again and lower it to the bottom. When the United States flag is flown at half-staff, state flags should be removed or flown at half-staff too. *snip*

The legnth of time for flying the flag at half-staff depends on the office the person held:

*Thirty days after the death of a President or former president

______________________

Just a reminder.

Goodbye Mr Ford, you will be missed

Although he was in the background in politics and didnt do much after his presidency, we can all look to this man as an example of integrity and honor...he sqaushed his own chances at re-election by doing the right thing for the country. Sound familiar?

From Yahoo News

Gerald Ford hailed as selfless leader

By JEFF WILSON, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 1 minute ago
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -

President Bush hailed Gerald R. Ford for his administration's honor. His former opponent, President Carter, called him "a man of highest integrity." And Nancy Reagan hailed his dedication to the country.

In the uncertain days after the Watergate scandal, those qualities were enough.
Ford, who died Tuesday at 93, was remembered for getting and keeping the country on course in shaky times.

Carter, who defeated Ford in 1976, said he was "one of the most admirable public servants and human beings I have ever known."

"An outstanding statesman, he wisely chose the path of healing during a deeply divisive time in our nation's history," Carter said. "He frequently rose above politics by emphasizing the need for bipartisanship and seeking common ground on issues critical to our nation. I will always cherish the personal friendship we shared."

Though one of his most significant moves — pardoning President Nixon for any crimes committed in office — was widely derided at the time, many have since come to see it as a gesture that healed the country as much as it hurt Ford's aspirations to be elected president in 1976.

"With his quiet integrity, common sense and kind instincts, President Ford helped heal our land and restore public confidence in the presidency," President Bush said in a statement. "The American people will always admire Gerald Ford's devotion to duty, his personal character and the honorable conduct of his administration."

Former first lady Nancy Reagan, whose late husband mounted an intraparty challenge to Ford in 1976, praised Ford for his service to the nation during and after his time in office.

"His accomplishments and devotion to our country are vast, and even long after he left the presidency he made it a point to speak out on issues important to us all," she said.

Ford died at his home in Rancho Mirage, about 130 miles east of Los Angeles, where he retired.

"He accepted the enormous responsibilities of the Presidency during a dark hour in our history, fully knowing the daunting challenge he faced," Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger said. "No man could have been better suited to the task of healing our nation and restoring faith in our government."

Alexander Haig, Ford's former chief-of-staff, said on CNN that Ford "had to bring our country back and make it whole again and he did it with dignity, he did it with great, great skill and sensitivity."