Former President Carter takes president to task

Houston Chron. ^ | 4/08/04 | JAMES PINKERTON

[NotchJohnson]

BROWNSVILLE -- Former President Carter on Thursday called the Bush administration's decision to wage war against Iraq "ill-advised and unnecessary," adding the resulting campaign "has turned out to be a tragedy."

The former Democratic president also said Bush's environmental policies are perhaps the worst in the nation's history.

Carter made the comments at the Rio R.V. Park after wrapping up a four-day birding trip with his wife, Rosalynn, in the lower Rio Grande Valley.

"President Bush's war was ill-advised and unnecessary and based on erroneous statements, and has turned out to be a tragedy," Carter said. "And my prayer has been that brave young American men and women, and others who are there, that their lives will be spared and there will be some peaceful resolution of the war."

Carter, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, also blamed what he called Bush's pro-Israel policies for engendering animosity against America.

"The prime source of animosity towards the United States is the lack of progress in dealing with the Palestinian issue," Carter said, adding that past U.S. administrations since Harry Truman's have maintained a "balanced position" in dealing with the rights of the Arab population within the Jewish nation.

"The present administration has not done so at all. We have been exclusively committed to the policies of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Israel, and have made no effort to try to have a balanced negotiating position between Israel and the Palestinians," Carter said.

Carter, who brokered the historic 1978 Camp David accords that led to peace between Israel and Egypt, noted that President George H.W. Bush threatened to halt foreign aid when Israel began building settlements in Palestinian territory.

"In the meantime, of course, the Israelis have established hundreds of settlements all over Palestinian land with no critical comment ever coming from the present Bush administration," Carter said.

Carter, who placed 103 million acres of Alaskan land under federal protection during his term, also took the current White House to task on the environment.

"This national administration is the worst for conservation in my lifetime, maybe in history," said Carter, whose family has farmed in Georgia since 1833. "In all the basic elements of preserving the purity of parks and wildlife lands, controlling the industries that are inclined to pollute ... the decimation of forest lands."

[NotchJohnson]

It's good our former Presidents are on the same page with what we are doing in war or we would really be sending the terrorists awrong message. Thank my lucky stars we are unified voice and don't have a miserable failure coming back only to shoot us in the foot. Wasn't he doing ok building houses? What ever happened to former Presidents shutting up? Bush 39 never spoke up.

[Hildy]

Carter through out the first ball at the opening of Petco Park here in San Diego last night. He did NOT get a rousing reception.

[DManA]

Hey Jimmy, come over here boy. A little closer. WHAPPPPPPP!!!!

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[dirtboy]

Former President Carter on Thursday called the Bush administration's decision to wage war against Iraq "ill-advised and unnecessary," adding the resulting campaign "has turned out to be a tragedy."

This from a president whose military couldn't even successfully fly helicopters halfway into Iran. Stick to building low-income housing, Jimmah, and let someone else do the nation-building.

[TomGuy]

Former President Carter takes president to task

That's Jimmy 'I fought of a killer rabbit attack and lived to tell the story' Carter.

[dirtboy]

Carter through out the first ball at the opening of Petco Park here in San Diego last night.

Too bad someone didn't set loose a rabbit on the field to chase him around. I would have paid really good money to see that.

[Dr Snide]

What kind of Pansy takes a four day "birding" trip? Considering the disaster that was the Carter presidency I would think that people would know enough to go with the opposite of whatever he thinks would be a good plan. Funny the press can't see he has the reverse midas touch (everything he touches turns to cr*p). Let see, intervened in Hati that worked, intervened in N. Korea well thats just great, etc. etc. This pompous jack*ss even managed to be a thorn in the side of the Clinton adm. because he was so full of himself and too much of a dove. What a joke, if he had half the morality he claims to he would be hiding in shame.

[tet68]

Birding News Flash!

Yellow bellied sap sucker spotted in Lower Rio Grande Valley.

[claudiustg]

Hiding in the rose garden, while the US becomes a laughing stock abroad is a plan, Jimmy?

[Hildy]

Did I really spell THREW wrong in my last post? YEESH.

[Still Thinking]

And I love that he thinks Bush's environmental policies are the worst the nation has ever had, even worse than when there WAS no environmental policy, worse than when Lake Erie caught on fire, etc. What a partisan hack. He'll say anything, no matter how absurd, if it serves the interests of his political buddies, and persuades (cons) even a couple voters.

[Integrityrocks]

"Carter, who placed 103 million acres of Alaskan land under federal protection during his term, also took the current White House to task on the environment."

Yes.. a fact we Alaskans never forget and have been trying to undo ever since. Also, a fact that the crying liberals of the lower 48 seem to forget every time Alaska gets more Federal funding from Congress. CARTER GAVE OUR STATE TO THE FEDS!! Senator Ted Stevens, makes them PAY FOR IT.

[Severa]

Methinks he's popping back in the news cause the last of the Seawolf class submarines, USS Jimmy Carter, is launched into the fleet on June 5th. This boat's cursed, no doubt about it. The CO was sacked a few months ago due to 'lack of confidence in leadership ability'

[mtbopfuyn]

Alert! What does Carter know and when did he know it? If the 9/11 Commission really wanted to get to the bottom of this (ha!) Carter may have reason to be worried. Yeah, I know, but he sure has been poking his nose in things lately.

[Nonstatist]

Lets look at President Failure's past history as President. He "lost" Iran and Afghanistan, oversaw the explosion of stagflation; high inflation and interest rates and unemployment. He was a dithering, indecisive,unprincipled, disorganized micromanaging dolt, who got slaughtered by a candidate who the Press spent months painting as a dangerous idealogue.

Yea, lets listen to him.

[Diogenesis]

FLASHBACK:

Role of Pres. Carter in Illegal Financial Demands on Shah of Iran directly led to Iranian terror takeover

[Still Thinking]

Dude, what's with your screen name? It make me cringe, just thinking about it.

[Dr Snide]

seems to me that nothing says 'lack of confidence in leadership ability' like Jimmy Carter.

[laconic]

Those who can't, Teach (record inflation, high unemployment, record interest rates, Desert One, 444 days of hostages, amnesty for draft dodgers, enormous gas lines and nonexistent energy "shortages", Russia invades Afghanistan, Shah overthrown).