I agree. This is a non-issue. While the vast majority of people with law degrees who sit for the Tennessee Bar pass on their first try, (the requirements to sit for the exam are more stringent then California), it is fairly normal for a politician with a law degree to fail the TN Bar exam. Possessing a law degree from Michigan, and his background, qualified Ford to take the Exam. However, since Michigan does not teach the law specific to Tennessee, if Ford did not spend a great deal of time and effort studying he should not have expected to pass. Having heard and briefly met Ford I'm quite certain that he has the intellect and training to pass the Tn Bar Exam, if he would take the time to apply himself. My suspicion is that in 1997 he was probably overconfident in his ability to pass the Exam and just did not put in the study time required. Since he was almost immediately elected to the House and has no intention of practicing law in Tennessee there really has been no reason for him to spend the time learning the peculiarities of Tennessee law.
I hope Ford is not elected and will be voting for his opponent, but I have no problem with him saying he’s a “lawyer” in the context that where he made the statement. He was not soliciting clients. If someone can find where he represented himself at an "Attorney at Law" I might feel differently.
Not sure why you are making excuses for Ford. Having taken the Bar (and passed the first time) I agree the Bar is not an intelligence test. He should not be critcized for that. But every 1st year law student, having taken Professional Responsibility, knows you simply cannot call yourself a lawyer unless you have a license which says you are. Certainly Ford knows that, but he still tries to pass himself off as a lawyer. And what for? Is he really going to get an extra vote or two if he were a lawyer? Heck, I'm thinking it might cost him a couple votes.