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.
Carter is a mush mouthed commie.
I always visualize him with duct tape over his mouth.
If only.
Oh blow it out yer a$$ Carter.
He is virtually deranged. His remarks at Mrs. King's funeral were so inappropriate that one wonder if he is on meds.
Didn't Jimmy pretty much diminish US influence with his horrible foriegn affairs record, exceeded only by his incompetence at managing "stagflation"?
The world took notice after he left office, when we spent the USSR into oblivion, then buried the Japanese economy with a lesson in productivity.
Carter so wanted to be a dictator of the league of Castro.
Shrinks our influence? But Carter has done that. If I remember, isn't it Carter that is continually going overseas to trash Bush? Does he not think that influences how others view Americans?
If he feels there is no influence in doing such - why does he continually take every opportunity to influence how they think America is the great threat? I'm sure he wishes for a few lopped off heads to parade around to show them how horrible America is.
Thats what I say to Mush Mouth Jimmy the commie Carter, the man who gave away the panama canal, and allowed Libya to partner with Billy Beer. I wish he would SHUTUP
If Carter would have handled all this in his term with the hostages, there might have never been the desire to have radical Islam today.
The misery index and radical Islam was all Carter, as was Billy's peeing tour on airport runways across America.
Remember, Jimmie, when you were a nuclear submarine captain. "Yep". Did you ever get an order to prepare to launch your missiles. "Yep". Well Jimmie, in which direction were they pointed?
Actually, Jimmy Carter knows quite a bit about torture. He tortured an entire country for four years.
Carter made Clinton look like Truman
Now that's a failure!
http://www.cafenetamerica.com
Carter says a lot of s%*t.
Just like Osama.
Who cares.....
ROFL
The rantings of a senile old man.
Cardinal4 says Carter is a dope..
Preparation-H will shrink Carters.
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