GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The decision by Grand Rapids native and former President Gerald R. Ford to pardon his disgraced predecessor after the Watergate scandal has put him in the pantheon of great presidents.

That's according to noted historian David McCullough, speaking to CBS News's Barry Petersen, who cited Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon as "one of the bravest decisions ever" as reason for his claim.

McCullough was interviewed by CBS for a segment on the legacies of great presidents as President Barack Obama's second inauguration draws near....