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Gerald R. Ford

OK, let's get this out of the way first. For my Democratic friends, I have a confession. In 1976, I voted for Jerry Ford -- Mo Udall in the Democratic primary, but Jerry in the general. It was my first presidential election, and the only time I've voted Republican. I won't do it again, I promise.

But it was really his wife Betty and the kids that I voted for. Jerry wasn't the kind of fellow you got excited about. He was a good, decent guy from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who probably never dreamed of being President. Being a Congressional leader would have fulfilled him, I'm sure. But Nixon picked him to replace Spiro Agnew, and then Nixon resigned, so look who ends up being President. Who would have predicted it?

But enough about Jerry. Betty's the fun one. She used to be a dancer who trained with Martha Graham. That was one partying gal who could kick up her heels.

Yeah, sure, she drank a bit, and it got out of hand, especially after she'd taken painkillers. Young folks today don't remember the Fords, but they've heard of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California -- the place where celebrities and rich folks go to beat their booze and drug habits.

Of course, we're all glad Betty overcame her problems, and we're thankful that she got the clinic going. But I liked her even when she was drinking. She was a lovable drunk. Hey, I can't help it if Otis was my favorite character on The Andy Griffith Show. Come on! He was hilarious!

What I liked most about Betty was that she was warm and friendly. The Nixon family had seemed stodgy and boring, but the Ford family seemed normal. I could relate to them.

And I loved her candor. Maybe it was the liquor talking, but Betty really opened up and said what she thought. In a 60 Minutes interview, she said she wouldn't be shocked if her teenage daughter, Susan, was having premarital sex. She also suggested that her kids had probably smoked pot. And when a reporter asked her how often she slept with her husband, she gushed "as often as possible."

This was a big deal back in 1974. First Ladies never talked about sex. Hell, sometimes they didn't talk at all. Although most folks responded positively to Betty's interview, others weren't so generous. Even today some Republicans think her outspokenness cost Jerry the 1976 election. Bob Jones, president of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, came down especially hard on her. He called the First Lady a "slut." What a gentleman.

Betty also made history when she got breast cancer and had a mastectomy. She was the first First Lady known to do this, and she was candid about it. She didn't hush it up. And her experience got women thinking more about getting tested, taking care of the problem, and not feeling ashamed of it.

Betty wasn't afraid to speak out on issues she cared about. The Equal Rights Amendment was a hot topic in those days, and she lobbied hard to get state legislators to support it.

Frankly, I can't remember anything Jerry did in his 29 months in office. He seemed to fall down a lot, and he pardoned Nixon. Otherwise, my mind goes blank. But Betty I'll never forget.