American

Perhaps the lowest point of Gerald Ford's unsuccessful 1976 presidential campaign came during a debate in which he asserted, "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe." He specifically cited Yugoslavia, Rumania and Poland as being "independent" and "autonomous." Those remarks were seized on by his opponent, Jimmy Carter, as proof that Ford lacked the foreign policy expertise to lead the U.S.

Last week, in a tongue-in-cheek article published in the Washington Post, Ford declared that the loosening of Soviet sway over East European countries has vindicated him. "My mother taught me it is wrong to crow," Ford wrote. "But former Presidents, as well as small boys, know no greater joy than being able to say, 'I told you so' . . . I come out pretty well as a prophet."