One of the cardinal Christian virtues has been forgiveness. Gerald Ford led the nation in forgiving Richard Nixon when he pardoned him in 1976.
The United States witnessed one of the most significant and substantive acts of forgiveness in political history when Gerald R. Ford pardoned his disgraced predecessor from any crimes related to the Watergate scandal. The pardon sent Ford's poll ratings into the cellar and probably sealed his political coffin. But....
It was an act of forgiveness that symbolized one of the highest virtues of Christianity -- and it was one of the best examples of the Golden Rule ever played out on the national stage. The pardon, while dooming (or at least seriously damaging) Ford's political career, allowed the Nixon family to heal personally -- and the nation as a whole to move on. Had Ford not issued the pardon, both the country and the Nixon family would have been dragged through misery and stress for years to come. An act of courage and forgiveness from a kind-hearted, decent man. May God rest his soul.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061227/ap_on_re_us/ford_nixon_pardon
