D.C. Pays Respects to President Ford

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1, 2007 — -- President Bush and first lady Laura Bush paid their respects to former President Gerald Ford today at the Capitol Rotunda, joining thousands of ordinary Americans who came to honor the 38th president as he lay in state.

But prominent politicians have been notably absent from the ceremonies held in memory of Ford.

The press office of incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed late this afternoon that the senator will not be at Ford's funeral Tuesday at the National Cathedral.

Senator Reid, D-Nev., is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation in Peru. His office said he is unable to return to the United States until late Tuesday night. Reid, however, will be at Ford's burial service on Wednesday.

Ford will be buried near his presidential museum in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Reid was just one of the many members of Congress not in attendance Saturday evening for a brief service that was held in the Capitol Rotunda when Ford's casket arrived. Of the 535 members of Congress, only about 35 were present.

Many lawmakers are away for the holiday, but plan to return in time for the funeral Tuesday.

President Bush also was absent from the ceremony Saturday, remaining on his ranch in Crawford, Texas. He returned to Washington this afternoon and promptly visited the Capitol arm-in-arm with first lady Laura Bush at 3 p.m. to pay his respects to the former president.

Both the president and first lady stopped very briefly at one end of Ford's coffin. They bowed their heads and prayed before quickly turning and leaving the rotunda.

George H.W. Bush, the 41st president, and his wife, Barbara Bush, came into the rotunda a short time later. They stood at the coffin, which was surrounded by three wreaths, bowed their heads and just as quickly, left.

President Bush will eulogize Ford Tuesday at the funeral.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Ford's one-time chief of staff, also paid his respects this afternoon. Rumsfeld was supposed to be an honorary pall bearer at Saturday night's ceremony, but bad weather in New Mexico apparently prevented him from making the earlier service.

Former President Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., also made a short visit this afternoon to view Ford's body lying in state.

But the most emotional moment today came when Ford's grandchildren arrived in the rotunda and hugged the flag-draped coffin of their beloved grandfather.

The events honoring former President Ford are low-key. Described as a modest man, Ford, according to his family, did not want all the pomp and circumstance typical of presidential funerals.

There will be no caisson, no riderless horse or flyover to escort his body, as there was with President Reagan's funeral in 2004. The Ford family requested just a simple hearse.

The family also asked for just two regular days of viewing as opposed to the around-the-clock viewing available when President Reagan was lying in state. Then, the public lined up for hours -- the wait sometimes lasting as long as six hours -- for their chance to view the 40th president.

This weekend, the lines have moved quickly with a wait of little more than an hour. Still, thousands of ordinary people have passed by Ford's casket.

Those who knew Ford well say he wouldn't have cared about how many people, or even who, came to see him.

Vice President Dick Cheney, who also served as Ford's chief of staff, eulogized him at the ceremony Saturday night, saying, "He was not the sort to ponder his legacy, to brood over his place in history."

Ford's funeral service at the National Cathedral will start at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.