Ford was a good man who tried his best even though he was much better suited to be a Congressman than President. He never would have been President if it were not for the resignations of both Agnew and Nixon.
Unfortunately, mistakes linger well beyond one's presidency and Stevens was a HUGE mistake, one I am not sure he ever realized the impact of.
While Eisenhower readily admitted that Warren and Brennan were his two biggest mistakes, Ford continued to praise Stevens.
Ford was a liberal, just like other Repubicans of that era, like Jacob Javits and Nelson Rockefeller. From their perspective, Stevens is perfect.