:Lee Ann HodgesCONTRIBUTING REPORTER
:Lee Ann Hodges
Former President Gerald Ford addresses the audience in the keynote speech Friday in Brendle Recital Hall. The symposium on presidental disability lasted all weekend.
The men with dark sunglasses patrolling the campus last weekend weren't trying out for the next James Bond movie; they were Secret Service agents preparing for the arrival of former President Gerald Ford. He spoke on the effectiveness of the 25th Amendment concerning presidential disablity in a symposium held Friday and Saturday.
The Constitution calls for a change of power when a president dies, but what about when he is disabled? When Woodrow Wilson became disabled while in office, his wife effectively but unofficially became the acting president. Ronald Reagan retained his powers after being shot and seriously wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in 1981. Should Franklin D. Roosevelt, having fallen ill, have given power to Harry Truman?
The 25th Amendment is meant to address these situations by providing for a smooth transition of power when the president becomes impaired. However, its language is vague and it gives no hard and fast rules in the event of presidential disability.
The symposium last weekend featured lawyers, doctors, journalists, historians and politicians meeting together to examine just how effectively it works.
The Working Group on Presidential Disability, which was originally formed last January at the Carter Center in Atlanta, reconvened on Friday and Saturday to present reports reviewing several aspects of this complicated issue. Topics included disclosure of information concerning the president's health, the role of the president's physician and the criteria for determining presidential disability.
The working group was formed by Dr. James F. Toole of Bowman Gray Medical Center and Arthur S. Link, a medical historian and a biographer of Woodrow Wilson. They felt a need to clear up confusion about presidential impairment and the transfer of power.
Ford spoke at the opening session on Friday and later participated in two panel discussions. Commenting on the two attempts on his life while he was in office, Ford said, "My own interest (in presidential disability) is slightly more than academic."
On the subject of changes to the 25th Amendment, Ford spoke in favor of making any necessary changes to the amendment through legislation rather than through a change in the Constitution. Whereas a Constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states, legislation requires a simple majority vote from Congress and approval by the president.
However, Ford sees little need for change in the 25th Amendment as it now stands.
"My conclusion is that the 25th Amendment is sound and usable, an excellent blueprint to provide an orderly transfer of presidential power," he said.
Exactly how much information should the public have access to in the event of presidential impairment? According to Dr. Herbert Abrams, a professor at Stanford University, Reagan's condition after being shot was much worse than the public realized.
Some participants in the symposium called for the creation of a
panel of doctors who would advise the White House physician. According to Ford, some problems that would arise with this type of arrangement are deciding which medical disciplines would be represented on the panel and the accuracy of diagnosis by committee.
"I have serious reservations that a panel of doctors should be
assembled to determine a president's disability," he said.
Former Indiana Senator Birch Bayh also argued against naming a panel.
"There are certain things you take for granted. If someone is sick, doctors are going to be involved. The Constitution doesn't need to say that," he said.