[RabidBartender]

I am reading "The Real Jimmy Carter" by Stephen Heyward right now. Carter, in my opinion, is by far the worst president the United States has ever had. I cannot find a single thing he did as president that didn't immediately turn to complete and utter crap. And his track record since then reflects the same - Palestine, Venezuela, Haiti, North Korea...."Jimmy Carter" should be a synonym for "complete and utter failure".

But.....

If it wasn't for Carter's immense ineptitude, we wouldn't have had the Great Communicator for 8 years.

In his 1982 presidential memoir, Carter cited as his biggest mistake "allowing Ronald Reagan to become President of the United States."

[NeilGus]

While I agree that Carter was one of the worst presidents in my lifetime what separates Carter from the rest is that he is clearly the worst ex-president in the history of the country.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

I agree. I am from Georgia, and it saddens me that our only President from Georgia was Carter. His is so naive it is ridiculous. I never understood how he could suck up to monster tyrants like Kim and not support our ally the Shah. The Shah was not perfect, but in the big picture, his repression was very, very tame compared to Kim or the Islamofacists that replaced the Shah.

Carter was remembered as a very bad micromanager. After a dispute about who would use the White House tennis court, he stepped in to take charge to resolve the dispute--give me a break.. Also he had the commander of Delta Force for the Iranian rescue mission report directly to HIM!

[Alberta's Child]

Carter may have been the worst president this country ever had, but I also think he gets an unfair rap on some key issues. Iran is one of them. Our current problems with Iran didn't begin in 1979, but all the way back in 1953 when the Eisenhower administration helped the British topple the duly-elected government of Mohammed Mossadegh and install the Shah as a puppet government. The Iranian uprising in 1979 was pretty much a natural backlash against the excesses of the Shah's regime, and the U.S. really has nobody to blame but ourselves for what has transpired in the old Persian empire over the last 50 years.

[TexasTaysor]

Carter cited as his biggest mistake "allowing Ronald Reagan to become President

allowing??? That sounds like something a dictator would say instead of an ex-president

[FlyVet]

Calling him an utter failure gives him too much credit, because it indicates mere incompetence. He is far worse than that. His actions are deliberate malice toward his own country and its citizens. He consistently does the opposite of what is right. Evil.

[reagan_fanatic]

In his 1982 presidential memoir, Carter cited as his biggest mistake "allowing Ronald Reagan to become President of the United States."

Allowing!?? ROTFL - Peanut boy couldn't have stopped the Reagan juggernaut if he had tried. People were sick to death of Jimmuh and longed for the kind of strong leadership Reagan offered. Carter didn't stand a chance.

[Nevadan]

I read "The Real Jimmy Carter" recently also. What an eye opener! I knew he was bad, but I just didn't realize how totally awful he was.

I voted for him the first time, and have always been ashamed about it. The only comfort I have felt was provided by that book when I was reminded about one of the clueless responses Ford made during the debates that sealed his fate - as far as I was concerned. Have you gotten to the section with transcripts from the presidential debates where Ford actually denied that the Soviet Block countries were dominated by the Soviet Union?

Here it is from the 1976 debates:
MAX FRANKEL, New York Times: Mr. President, I'd like to explore a little more deeply our relationship with the Russians… Our allies in France and Italy are now flirting with Communism. We've recognized the permanent Communist regime in East Germany. We've virtually signed, in Helsinki, an agreement that the Russians have dominance in Eastern Europe…

PRESIDENT FORD: I'm glad you raised it, Mr. - Frankel. In the case of Helsinki, 35 nations signed an agreement, including the secretary of state for the Vatican - I can't under any circumstances believe that the - His Holiness, the Pope would agree by signing that agreement that the thirty-five nations have turned over to the Warsaw Pact nations the domination of the - Eastern Europe. It just isn't true… There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration

MR. FRANKEL: I'm sorry, I - could I just follow - did I understand you to say, sir, that the Russians are not using Eastern Europe as their own sphere of influence in occupying most of the countries there and making sure with their troops that it's a Communist zone?

PRESIDENT FORD: I don't believe, - Mr. Frankel that - the Yugoslavians consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union. I don't believe that the Romanians consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union. I don't believe that the Poles consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union.

[Starboard]

Four more years of "Malaise Man" would have been catastrophic.

Jimmah must have been shocked to his core in seeing the outpouring of respect and love for Reagan at his funeral.

[Beckwith]

Carter cited as his biggest mistake "allowing Ronald Reagan to become President of the United States."

Proves once again how foolish PeanutMan is.

He didn't "allow" Reagan to become president. The People of the United States fired his incompetent ass.

[ricks_place]

I cannot find a single thing he did as president that didn't immediately turn to complete and utter crap.

Jimmy Carter damaged the United States during his Presidency with long lasting consequences. Amazingly, Jimmy Carter contiues to damage the United States during his ex-Presidency. Jimmy Carter was truely the worst man ever elected President of the United States of America.

However, Jimmy Carter appointed Paul Volkler Chairman of the Federal Reserve whereupon the Chairman defeated inflation, stagflation, and economic malaise through monetary policy. I am sure Jimmy Carter regrets the appointment.

[Clintonfatigued]

I'm old enough to remember what it was like to have Jimmy Carter as President. He was a hopelessly inept, pathetically ineffectual President. Although he didn't create many of the terrible problems the country faced back then, he made all of them worse than they had to be.

[Safetgiver]

I cannot find a single thing he did as president that didn't immediately turn to complete and utter crap.... There is nothing he did that won't haunt us for at least 100 years, mark my words. Why this man has ANY credibility is beyond me. His own brother said if it weren't for subsidies, he couldn't grow peanuts for a profit.

[RednNC]

Correct me if I am wrong but I don't believe that Ford could have run again had he beaten Carter in 1976. Ford became President in Aug of 1974. That would have still paved the way for Reagan to become President in 1980. I firmly believe that Ford would not have abandoned the Shah the way Carter did. Our world would be much better had Carter NEVER been President. ( Somebody should beat me cause I voted for that sonofabitch.)