He didn't just replace Nixon...
He replaced Spiro Agnew, another great Republican.
I remember Ford's Vice-Presidency and his Presidency, and although I was a Democrat, I thought he was the right man for the job and his tenure in office bore that out. Even at the time, I thought the pardon was a good idea; as much as I loathed Richard Nixon, prosecuting him for his crimes would only have made a martyr out of him.
