Campaign 2004: The Uncivil War

Campaign 2004: The Uncivil War
By DAN K. THOMASSON
Oct 15, 2004, 04:54

There is legitimate concern that the split in this nation's political fabric is so deep and wide that whoever wins the presidential election will be unable to govern. To quote a late colleague about another election in a similar atmosphere: The winner might have done better in bankruptcy court.

Tragically, it is already too late for what this political season really needs - a strong dose of good old Jerry Ford; that is to say, a major infusion of civility in a presidential election that is hitting new highs and lows in its negative intensity. Ford stepped in at a time of national turmoil to heal the wounds of Watergate and went down to narrow defeat two years later without uttering an unkind word about his opponent....