Posted on 09/18/2006 9:13:44 PM PDT by FairOpinion
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said on Monday the Bush administration had eroded America's global influence with its conduct in Iraq and by condoning the torture of terrorism suspects.
"They have redefined torture to make it convenient for them," Carter said of the Bush administration in an interview with Reuters.
"Things that are unanimously almost or globally assumed to be torture, they claim that this is not torture. I don't think there is any doubt that is what they are doing," said Carter, a Democrat who was president from 1977 to 1981.
He has since been a leading voice on global human rights issues and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Carter, 81, said he was "filled with admiration" for Republican Sens. John McCain and John Warner and former Secretary of State Colin Powell for their effort last week to block President George W. Bush's policies on the treatment of suspected terrorists. The White House and senators are continuing talks in search of a compromise.
"We've lost the support and trust and confidence and admiration that we've had for generations," Carter said, adding the administration "has stonewalled so they can continue to perpetrate this illegal punishment."
"They have obviously subverted facts, that has been proven, and subversion of the law is now becoming more and more apparent," he said, referring to the administration's repeated appeals of court rulings concerning the treatment and legal rights of prisoners at the Guantanamo prison in Cuba.
CARTER SEES AMERICA LESS SAFE
Carter, who has called treatment of detainees at Guantanamo an embarrassment and disgrace, said Americans were less safe since September 11 because Bush mishandled the Iraq war and failed to promote peace efforts between Israel and Palestinians.
Those two factors, he said, "combined to stir up additional animosity and threats of violence not only against us but against allies like Great Britain."
Carter, who is serving as the honorary chairman of Democrats Abroad, said in the telephone interview from his home in Plains, Georgia, that he would encourage Democrats overseas to vote in November, when the party must pick up six Senate seats and 15 House seats to reclaim majorities.
Republicans rejected Carter's criticism and said Bush would not change course.
"While Jimmy Carter is committed to attacking this administration's efforts to keep us safe, President Bush remains committed to waging an aggressive battle with those whose stated goal is to harm Americans," said Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
Carter criticized Bush's approach to foreign diplomacy as the president headed to the United Nations for a general session expected to highlight by international skepticism over U.S. policies toward Iran and Iraq.
The White House has ruled out a meeting between Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who will also address the General Assembly, and says there will be no lower-level contacts with the Iranian delegation.
"Our government now has a strange and unprecedented and pervasive policy of not speaking to anybody who doesn't agree with us in advance on controversial issues. So we close the door, we go into a closet and pout," Carter said.
"So we don't talk to Iran, we don't talk to Syria, we don't talk to the Palestinian government, we don't talk to North Korea, we don't talk to any leaders around the world who disagree with us and this is where the problems arise," he said.
But this point, the more he speaks, the better, I think.
There IS no torture, but anything they do to these savage terrorists never compares in the least to what they do to their victims. Remember those poor men hanging from a bridge? Was THAT torture Jimmy? What about those people who had to jump to their deaths in terror in the towers? Was THAT torture Jimmy? You low down scum. How we ever had the likes of you for a President is a scar on our history!!!
This is the guy that pussified the US infront of the freaking world. No fool like an old rabbit clubbing fool.
Dear Jimmah,
STFU
Love,
FreeBee
The man who gave us modern day Iran thinks that the Bush administration is shrinking our influence worldwide?
I'm sorry - I thought one of Carter's problems with the Bush administration is that we're setting up puppet states....
God! He needs to STFU! This whole pile of crap comes from the vague language in article 3 of the GC. How can he say we are torturing these mofos when there is no damn definition? I think he is a closet moop.
Will the Good Lord never relieve us of this pest?
And still *continues* to do so...
the infowarrior
Memo to Jimmy:
Stop embarrasing yourself. You piddled in your pants again.
Jimmy has a lot to answer for.
Remember what he said at Coretta King's funeral?
Jimmy was never a Captain nor ever was in command of a submarine! He was discharged from the Navy as a Lieutenant.
...and GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT ! ! !
Oh, BTW, did you happen to see National Geographic's Special, INSIDE 9/11??
I just happened to catch a screen cap of Usama Bin PorkinPigs quote from a Nov. 2001 interview in Afghanistan.
May these words forever be etched in that Peanut Brain of yours.
WOW! First I have seen of that one. It's excellent!
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