Hola Bambe, Hungala Dimba Gerald Ford. (1913-2006)

David Weigel | December 27, 2006

Gerald Ford, the only president never to be elected to either office in the executive branch, is dead at 93.

"My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age," Mrs. Ford said in a brief statement issued from her husband's office in Rancho Mirage. "His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."

The statement did not say where Ford died or list a cause of death.

Jesse Walker spotted CNN's too-early obituary for Ford in 2003. Alexander Cockburn, who contributed to Reason's "Person of the Year" forum, is the only man (apart from Chevy Chase, maybe) who will argue that Ford was our greatest president.

Headline explanation here. And note that the SNL joke predated Ford's passing by a full decade. This man was built Hoover tough.