I have a Ford column up here, and I’m learning via e-mail that there are lots of conservatives who don’t like the Nixon pardon. A representative e-mail:

Rich, I’m sorry, but even as a strong conservative, I just cannot see the justification for pardoning Nixon. I’ve read your opinion, as well as the opinions of others, but it’s clear to me that your arguments in support of Ford in this regard are exactly wrong. One of the fundamental tenets of the United States’ form of government is that no one, not even the President, is above the law. In short, Ford’s pardon of Nixon demonstrates that powerful political leaders are indeed above the law, and for the worst reason–because prosecuting them would be projected as wildly divisive and unpopular. So once again (as with Bill Clinton), we stick our finger in the air, and if we don’t like the way the “poll-ar” wind is blowing, we let the criminals who hold the nation’s highest office off the hook. In this regard, we are little different from those “Third-World” countries whose corrupt politicians and dictators certainly are above the law. I’ll bet the CEOs of Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, et al. would have appreciated pardons for their criminal behavior as well, and they were simply corporate executives, not the leader of our nation.