Gerald Ford (1974-77) and Albert Gore A Comparison and Contrast of the United States Presidency Gerald Ford and Albert Gore: A Comparison and Contrast of the United States Presidency As a truly beaten Richard Nixon sat in the Oval Office the walls of his presidency closed all around him. The Watergate Scandal had been so exhausting to President Nixon that some feared that he might take his own life. Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski was closing in on Nixon, he had received White House tape recordings and transcripts that Nixon knew would put him in jail. Several Months earlier Vice President Spirow Agnew resigned and Nixon nominated long time friend and Congressman Gerald Ford. This I feel was a seat that Ford was not prepared for and many times in speeches he gave he admitted to. Thirty years later another Presidency was in jeopardy, the Clinton administration was facing impeachment by the Senate after a successful impeachment in the House. As these two crises unfolded the two Vice Presidents, Ford and Gore faced a very real possibility of inheriting the highest role in the United States Government. “The Presidency is the loneliest job in the United States,” as Ford moved into the Presidency he soon found out why. Shadowed by a scandal that had rocked the White House, Ford found it near impossible to shake the cloak of Nixon. “Theirs is an American tragedy in which we have all played a part. It could go on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can I must.” Ford was seeking closer of this incident and thought he found it in a pardon. As Vice President Gore gears up for his campaign against George W. Bush he is constantly reminded of his misfortunes of his predecessor William Clinton. Although this scandal does loom over the Clinton campaign, it seems to me that Gore will ovoid the scandal that brought Ford his demise. It will be interestin...
