Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Write It When I'm Gone by Thomas M. DeFrank

The sub-title of this book is Remarkable Off the Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford.

My guess is that if you are not into recent history or the history of our Presidents that you may ignore this book.

However I was fascinated by ex President Ford's observations on Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

Ford was more sympathetic to Nixon than most people. He felt that Nixon's biggest problems were the people around him. Ford particularly loathed John Dean.

Ford was not a fan of Ronald Reagan for political and personal reasons. Ford wanted to run against Jimmy Carter in 1980 and felt Reagan usurped his role in running for President. He also felt that Reagan was not intellectually up for the job.

Ford noticed that Bill Clinton had a wondering eye but admired his intellect and political skills.

DeFrank's book is an easy and interesting read about the candid feelings of Gerald Ford. His Presidency was short but Ford did restore integrity to the White House after Nixon and Watergate.

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