Carter: Miller's Senate appointment was 'mistake'

Atlanta Journal Constitution ^ | December 11,2003 | The Associated Press

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Former President Jimmy Carter says the appointment of Georgia's Zell Miller to the Senate was a mistake because his fellow ex-governor "betrayed all the basic principles that I thought he and I and others shared."

The comments, which Carter made Wednesday on the radio program FOX News Live with Alan Colmes, are the latest in a string of attacks prominent Democrats have made lately concerning the maverick senator who has endorsed President Bush's re-election and penned a new book arguing his party is out of touch with the South.

When Colmes asked Carter about Miller, the former president first said, "I would rather not even comment about Zell Miller on the radio," then proceeded to call the appointment "one of the worst mistakes" then-Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes made in his final four years in office.

Barnes tapped Miller in 2000 to fill the vacancy left by the death of Republican Sen. Paul Coverdell. He then went on to win a special election to complete Coverdell's term, which ends in January 2005. Miller has announced he won't seek re-election, and Republicans are viewed as the favorites to capture the seat.

Miller dismissed Carter's comments Thursday, calling the former president a friend of more than 40 years.

"And over those 40-plus years, I bet I've received about two dozen personal notes from Jimmy Carter," Miller said. "Half of them are giving me hell, and the other half are bragging on me. So, I figure I'm doing OK batting .500 with Jimmy Carter."

Barnes declined to comment Thursday on the squabble between the two other former governors.

In Miller's book, "A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat," he devotes a chapter to analyzing why Carter won the presidential race in 1976 and lost in 1980.

"This Georgian, who had generated so much regional pride, saw his Southern base decimated," Miller wrote of the latter contest. "... Some Southerners would say he forgot where he came from. Others would say it was the magic of Ronald Reagan. I say it was because after campaigning as a new kind of Democrat, he governed too much like an old one."

[Moby Grape]

Jimmy Carter's BIRTH was a mistake.

[Howlin]

Good find. I love to watch them attack anybody with principles.

[demlosers]

Carter your presidency was a mistake.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

More mush from the Wimp.

[Howlin]

All anybody needs to know about Howard Dean: he's been "studying" under Mr. Carter.

[danneskjold]

back at ya', Jimmah...

[Bikers4Bush]

Carter is a crackhead.

[bmwcyle]

There is a major cat fight amoung the DEMS.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Clinton's legacy is only slightly less than that of Carter's.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

They will never recover from Miller's endorsement of Bush in 2004. :)

[r9etb]

Jimmuh made a good name for himself when he spent all that effort on Habitat for Humanity, and a few (heavily spun) election monitoring trips.

He's squandered it all, and has revealed himself to be nothing but another brainless, partisan hack.

[Lucky2]

jimmy carter is a senile, old coot. Dry up and blow away jimmy, your term as president was a screwed up mess and got it in some of the trouble we're in today.

[Moby Grape]

I hope Carter has taught Dean how to defend himself from attack rabbits...and of course, the fine art of placing a front porch on an outhouse, calling Habit for Humanity, and bragging 24 hours a day about what a caring citizen you are.

[TheBattman]

All anybody needs to know about Howard Dean: he's been "studying" under Mr. Carter.

What's even more scarry - Dean is far LEFT of even Carter!

[Norse]

Carter Presidency = one of worst in American history

[SquirrelKing]

[Hildy]

Carter truly believes he's an elder Statesman. He's a delusional freak and the media plays into his delusion. I loathe that man.

[onedoug]

Jimma evidently thought Miller was a Communist too.

[McBlog]

Now Carter knows how Republicans feel about their Supreme Court appointees.