How Exactly Did President Ford "Restore Faith In The Presidency"?

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not bringing this up to crack at a former President that has passed away. Gerald Ford seemed like a really nice guy, a guy that served bravely in World War II, and was truly one of a dying breed: a moderate Republican.

However, I don't understand the idea being floated around that Ford helped "restore faith in the presidency", when a mere one month into his term as President, he granted a pardon to his staggeringly corrupt predecessor, Richard Nixon.

How exactly did that decision improve America's view of its chief executive?

P.S. I'm not being a smart ass (for a change), I really want an answer to this question...
- posted by Brian @ 1:10 PM