So, when the revolution came, Jimmy Carter sniffed and turned his back on the Shah. And that's how Islamic Fundamentalists got a real foothold in the Middle East -- and learned that taking Americans hostages is no big deal, with no real consequences.
Of course, once Khomeini was in power and the full repression of his Islamic theocracy began to be apparent, the media's attention drifted to Nicaragua where another US-backed political group was being ... Brutal! People were being tortured! ... and I seem to remember Jimmy Carter helping our enemies down there as well (as an ex-President).
Yeah, the Ayatollah put a few SAVAK agents in jail and just issued new uniforms to the rest of them and turned them loose again on the population. The Shah wasn't perfect but he was the only friend we had in the region besides Israel. Jimmy Carter did more damage to the U.S. and our allies than any president in history.
Carter thought he could do business with Khomeini because they both were religious men.