THE NEW PRESIDENT: A MAN FOR THIS SEASON

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Once he was sworn in as Vice President, Ford hit the road as a traveling salesman for the presidency and the Republican Party. In his first eight months in office, he flew more than 100,000 miles and made over 500 appearances before groups ranging from a large G.O.P. rally in Chicago to the Boy Scouts. The aim of this energetic odyssey was to rally the party faithful in a time of troubles and give them a glimpse of a new and accessible party leader.

It was also a convenient escape for Ford from the Washington snake pit. But he was rarely allowed to forget Watergate for long. As he put it, he had "to walk a very fine line." Occasionally, he stepped over it. At first, he was almost an unabashed apologist for the President's defense strategy and once even used language supplied by White House speechwriters for a shrill attack on "groups like the AFL-CIO, the Americans for Democratic Action and other powerful pressure organizations." He accused them of "waging a massive propaganda campaign against the President of the United States." In subsequent speeches, he called for more openness on the part of the President and greater cooperation with the special prosecutor. Yet as the tensions built and the evidence against Richard Nixon accumulated, some of Ford's best friends began to worry that Jerry was frittering away political credits by making too many speeches. They bluntly advised him: "Shut up, Jerry." Finally, in the last week, before Nixon fell, he did shut up.

Perils of Candor

Physically, at least, Ford seems able to handle the arduous demands of the presidency. At 61, he weighs 203, only four pounds over his football-playing weight; he stays in shape by two daily 20-minute swims and occasional rounds of golf (scoring in the 90s). He limits lunch to a salad or cottage cheese with ketchup, though he occasionally succumbs to ice cream. No teetotaler, he likes to polish off a hard day's politicking with two or three dry martinis with a pair of olives in each. Ford's colleagues are astounded by his stamina. He has been known to fly to Denver after a day's work in the House, deliver a speech, fly back to Washington, take a swim at 3 a.m., sleep for four hours and then start the next day's activities with no hint of fatigue. "I don't get much sleep," he admits, and to date it does not seem to matter. However tight his schedule, he has always found time to attend an Episcopal church on Sundays and a weekly prayer session in the House.