Contact: Stacey Holliday, Concerned Women for America, 202-488-7000 ext. 126

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- Known as the “accidental president,” Gerald Ford was never elected vice-president or president; instead, he was appointed to the vice presidency after Spiro Agnew’s dismissal and came to the presidency after Richard Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal. Yet, accordingly to Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, Senior Fellow of CWA’s Beverly LaHaye Institute, “He came to office at a seemingly providential time; few men would be as capable in handling the political crisis that he inherited. He was just what the nation needed at that time. His wisdom, integrity and decency framed extraordinary political skills that were honed in the Halls of Congress.”

“In many respects,” said Crouse, “Gerald Ford was the embodiment of statesmanship –– clearly he put the nation’s best interests ahead of his political ambitions when he pardoned President Nixon. That decision cost him the presidency in the 1976 election, but historians today generally agree that the pardon was necessary for the nation to move forward after Watergate.”

“At the time,” Crouse added, “his public image contrasted rather dramatically from the reality.  He was considered a klutz and several pictures of him stumbling reinforced the clumsy image, yet he was one of the most athletic of American presidents.  He seemed to be a genial, easy-going guy who wouldn’t make waves, yet his successful congressional experience made him a skillful presidential negotiator who could both size up the situation and garner the support to assure the desired outcome.”

Crouse’s doctoral dissertation analyzed the Carter-Ford campaign debates of 1976; she is considered an expert on political campaign debates and has presented academic lectures and papers on the topic.

Concerned Women for America is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization.