Posted on 01/27/2006 10:08:46 AM PST by ncountylee
JERUSALEM - The mood was disaster-in-progress when the unflappable Jimmy Carter stepped into the room yesterday to share a few quiet moments with the Toronto Star.
The official returns were flowing in, showing a Hamas victory almost beyond anyone's calibration.
The hard fist of political Islam didn't just enter the Palestinian parliament. It is the parliament.
As the numbers sunk in, CNN, BBC, Sky and Fox went into "breaking news" mode, quickly bulking up with pundits uttering obituaries for peace. The greening of Palestinian politics now had consigned the region to another hopeless eternity, it seemed.
At 81, clear-eyed and calm, America's most beloved ex-president — who yesterday sanctified the Palestinian election as head of the 950-strong international observer mission — took the earthquake in stride.
With the debate turning to whether the Palestinians' major international benefactors, the European Union and the United States, should allow themselves to maintain contact with a government led by Hamas — a group that has not unequivocally abandoned its founding principle of the destruction of the state of Israel — Carter let us in on a fascinating anecdote he has never spoken of publicly.
Ten years ago, Carter himself sat down with Hamas in an attempt to bridge the gap between PLO chief Yasser Arafat and the then-fledgling militant Islamic group.
As a personal favour to the late Palestinian leader, and in the spirit of the newly minted Oslo Accords, Carter went hunting for Hamas, to lasso them into the political process.
"Arafat asked me if I would contact Hamas and see if they would accept the new government with him as president, and to find out what their demands might be," Carter said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thestar.com ...
Carter remains a constant threat.
"...most beloved," by dictators everywhere.
The author owes me a new BS meter.
I beg to differ on so many points in this single phrase.
America's most beloved constant threat!
ML/NJ
"At 81, clear-eyed and calm, America's most beloved ex-president..."
This is where I couldn't continue reading due to the gag reflex produced by this statement.
SAY WHAT!?!?!
I think that the Canadian's misunderstood. Most of us loved the idea Carter had become an EX-president.
At 81, clear-eyed and calm, America's most beloved ex-president
--Not sure what crazy left wing islamofacist text book this came from.
"America's most beloved ex-president"
Ya gotta be kiddin'!
Yup, it buried the needle on mine too! I hate when that happens!
The worst ex-President in USA history has "certified as legitimate" vote thefts by murderous Marxist Mugabe, Venezualian thug Chavez, that coke grower in Bolivia, and now Hamas.
Okay. Who's gonna clean this vomit off my shoes?
Most beloved - mitch potter must be harrys brother.
Don't forget Castro.
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