The Pardon

All this wallowing in Watergate has brought back many memories. It's given the press an excuse to run a lot of the news reports and stories from that time. And it has also shown the depths of depravity to which those die-hard Nixonites would go to try to justify their crimes and rationalize the war in Viet Nam, the bombing and genocide in Cambodia, and the use of the FBI as a personal spy service for the White House. The shortsightedness of the American public will surely help them in their task. (Note to Ben Stein: you should've kept your profile as an affable game show host and not exposed your vicious lying self for what it really is. That constitution thing is still a little over your head, eh?)

But one thing struck me when they showed a clip of Gerald Ford, as he just took over the Presidency, pardoning that crook Richard Nixon. Here's the text:

I, Gerald R. Ford, president of the United States [...] do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon onto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States, which he, Richard Nixon, has committed, or may have committed, or taken part in, during the period from July 20, 1969, through August 9, 1974.

Notice anything funny? Like the beginning date? (I highlighted it in case any Republicans read this post). Everyone can assume this was done very carefully, in consultation with Nixon's lawyers. I'm sure they wouldn't have specified that date if they didn't have to. There must be a reason.

Unfortunately, this will be a job for historians, as the news value is likely low. But where there's smoke there's fire. And when historians do find out what Nixon was doing in the days immediately after he took office - spying on war protesteers, abusing the IRS, monitoring the civil rights movement - I hope Liddy, Buchanan, Stein, Noonan, et. al are around to try to explain those assaults on the Constitution. I want to see them squirm again.