Ford's pardon of Nixon, before he could even be charged, let alone convicted, is perhaps the best example, not the worst, of the use of a presidential pardon. While it cost Ford dearly, politically, at the time, it allowed the entire Union to put the travesty of Nixon in the rear view mirror immediately and start moving forward. That pardon was an act of courage that has been sorely missing from the office in the decades since it was issued.  Today the decisions are based not on what is best for the general welfare of the Union, but what is best for maintaining or obtaining power at the federal level for the political class.