a bridge over troubled water...

a bridge over troubled waters...

                                                                                                                p.simon, 1969        

  There must be a phantom sign on the stairway leading up to Air Force One that says, Trip Here.  If that's not the case, those steps must surely be jinxed.    

  Joe Biden isn't the only politician to stumble while trying to board the world's most famous aircraft.    The president managed to trip or stumble twice last March 19th as he climbed the stairs to Air Force One.  

  Still, the president's recent missteps pale by comparison to the tumble President Gerald Ford took after slipping and falling down several steps on a wet ramp while exiting Air Force One in Salzburg, Austria on June 1, 1975.  

  The 38th Chief Executive managed to avoid a complete fall by extending his arms to the ground and regaining his balance which enabled him to stand upright.  

  It was that act of awkwardness and some previous missteps that Chevy Chase turned into a spoof that became legendary television material on Saturday Night Live.  

  HUH?  What's up with that? 

  President Ford managed to lock himself out of the White House after taking his dog for a stroll, a duty usually performed by a staff member.  The president was forced to call the Secret Service to let him into his residence.  

  While boarding a helicopter to leave the White House, Ford bumped his head entering the copter.  It was another clumsy incident that made international news.  

  Joe Biden and Gerald Ford seem to share the title of Clumsiest President Ever.  

  A few months before President Biden tripped on the steps of Air Force One, he broke his foot while playing with his two-year-old German Shepherd, Major.  

  However, there are other similarities between Ford and Biden that stand out even more than the embarrassment of such a public display of awkwardness.  

  The first time three presidents had ever golfed together was on February 15th, 1995.  Ford, Bill Clinton, and the elder George Bush teed it up in a pro-am tournament at the Indian Wells Golf Club near Palm Springs.  Little about the tournament is remembered except for President Ford hitting a spectator with a golf ball. 

  Presidents Ford and Biden have even much more in common.  They are also known for saying the wrong thing at inopportune times.  We all manage to utter a completely inappropriate message or phrase that is illogical with the ongoing conversation and it begs the question, Where did that come from. 

  President Ford's most famous gaffe while in office came during the presidential debates in the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on October 6, 1976, when he said, There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford Administration.  

  What the president meant to say and what he had rehearsed was, The spirit of Eastern European nations had not been crushed, despite Soviet occupation.  

  Journalist Max Frankel cut in after Ford's remarks to ask the president to clarify that statement.  Mr. Ford stood by his answer and refused to alter what he said.  

  There are some experts who say it doesn't matter what happens during presidential debates because our minds have been made up previous to the showdown.  But, in this case, many politicians who supposedly know such things credit Mr. Ford's incorrect summation of Russia's influence as costing him the election.  

  Ford once told a Lincoln Celebration crowd, If Lincoln were alive today, he'd be rolling over in his grave.  (It almost sounds like a Yogi Berra quote)

  President Joe Biden has had his share of verbal gaffes too.  He famously introduced President Obama at a campaign rally as, President Barack America, then leaned over to tell the president confidentially, This is a big f---ing deal, not realizing he spoke loud enough to be heard over the microphone.  

  At a campaign stop during last year's presidential election, the Democratic candidate stated, We choose truth over facts.

  Also while campaigning, Mr. Biden apparently became mad at a Trump supporter in the crowd last year and lowered the gauntlet challenging the overweight man to do push ups or run a short distance against him.  He also called the man fat, but a spokesperson later said the candidate said, fact, not fat.  

  As a vice-presidential candidate appearing at a Town Hall meeting, Mr. Biden told the crowd, Frankly, Hilary Clinton is a better candidate than me and is fully qualified.  Let's be clear about that.  

  Besides ungainly acts and verbal miscues, there is an even greater similarity between Ford and Biden that is unparalleled in the American presidency.  

  It doesn't matter that they stand on the opposite aisle of ideology.  It means nothing that Mr. Biden served the U.S. Senate for 36 years and Mr. Ford was a member of the House of Representatives for 25 years.  It matters little that each one of them took a dog or two with them to the White House.  

  What matters the most is that each one came to the Oval Office under trying and stormy times in our country because of an unstable presidency.   

  Mr. Ford assumed the office on August 9, 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned as a result of the Watergate Scandal that rocked the nation.  On September 8, 1974, Nixon's successor issued Proclamation 4311 which pardoned Mr. Nixon for any crimes he may have committed against the United States.

  Critics thought a deal had been made at some point prior to Nixon's resignation.  Others thought it was the right thing to do and the pardon would allow the country to move forward.  

  Mr. Ford always maintained that he thought it was the only course of action he had to heal the country.  

  Regardless of which is correct, the country did move on and Watergate was relegated to history.  

  In retrospect, President Ford carried a burden to the White House not seen since the  end of the Civil War, that of healing a divided country, but this time it was because of a tumultuous presidency.  He was a bridge over troubled waters. 

  President Biden  came to office with the same task.  

  Today seems similar to 1974 in ways that matter.  We are once again a divided country because of a turbulence in the nation's highest office.  It doesn't matter which political party is in the White House.  What is most important is it appears as though the nation chose a president who has the experience to begin fixing the division.  

  Gerald Ford wasn't given a lot of time to heal the wounds and unite the country.  But, by the time his successor, Jimmy Carter took office, the country was in a forward mode.  Yes, it was a different kind of division than today's troubles, but our constitution was under attack in both instances.

  It remains to be seen, but time will be the determining factor if Mr. Biden will be like Mr. Ford in the most important way of all, that of serving as a bridge over troubled waters.  

  Coming up:  You will meet a 12 year old who has great acting potential; celebrate a landmark, and; meet more POS!

  The irony of Mr. Ford having so many clumsy moments while in the White House?  He is considered the most athletic president to serve in the office.  He won two national championships while playing multiple positions for Michigan's football team in 1932 and 1933.  He was also voted team MVP.

  HUH?  What's up with that?