Posted on 05/28/2007 5:30:46 AM PDT by nuconvert
Pound Nails, Not the President
May 27, 2007
TimesDaily.com
Dan Thomasson
Of all the criticisms Jimmy Carter shouldn't be making, the allegation about President Bush's foreign policy shortcomings tops the list. He should not need to be reminded that it was his botching of the Iranian hostage situation that helped get us where we are today.
While few would disagree about the president's failures in Iraq and Afghanistan and his inability to bring key European allies into the mix, only a brief glance at history will tell us where this whole mess began.
But then Carter has been in denial about his role almost since the last vote was cast for his successor Ronald Reagan in 1980, leaving him to search for vindication by sticking his nose into every international crisis from Haiti to the Middle East in an ultimately successful campaign for a Nobel Peace Prize.
The former Navy officer turned politician turned peanut farmer turned politician can claim credit for winning a detente between Egypt and Israel that was no small achievement. He also is a nice man whose bitterness over what he felt was an unfair rejection by the voters finally spewed out in his ranking of Bush as the biggest Oval Office lunk head in history when it comes to overseas affairs and his slandering of British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a toady, breaking the rule about former presidents not speaking ill about the current holder of the job.
When Carter left office his ratings were as low or lower than Bush's, dipping into the 20s for job approval on a series of domestic and foreign policy blunders that left U.S. prestige abroad in a shambles and turned Iran into a theocratic state that fosters and finances terrorism and still does. His misguided stances included canceling U.S. participation in the Moscow Olympics because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a silly protest that accomplished nothing and hurt only the American athletes who had trained for years.
But the capper, of course, came when he withdrew U.S. support for the ailing shah of Iran, a Western educated, pro-American monarch who had kept radical Muslims in line and provided stability throughout the area. This sometimes required what Carter saw as repressive measures by the shah's dreaded secret police. So, what does this born again Georgian do? He helps unleash one of the most regressive radicals in modern history, the Ayatollah Khomeini, on Iran and the world. The secret police were amateurs compared to the oppressiveness this creature brought with him from exile in Paris.
The cleric, whose religious ideology was right out of the 11th century, then warned his benefactor not to permit the dispossessed shah to get medical treatment in the United States. That was too much even for Carter who ignored the edict. The ayatollah then gave his young militants the go-ahead to storm the American embassy, holding 52 hostages and making the U.S. a laughingstock for more than 444 days while Carter dithered, afraid of the consequences of military action.
He finally OK'd an improbable plan for rescue but quickly abandoned it when a helicopter crashed killing nine of the team. The nation's wimp image, along with his, was certified.
Meanwhile, the new Persian dictators turn their attention to promoting anti-Americanism throughout the globe and establishing a rogue state about to reach critical mass with its nuclear development. At the same time they have tried, not unsuccessfully, to feed the insurgency in Iraq with financing and roadside bombs.
That Carter seemed to retreat a bit in normal political fashion after his remarks caused the White House to bite back, calling him "irrelevant,'' which under the circumstance seems mild albeit correct. He said he was speaking in a context that was misunderstood. Right. Actually, he has been openly critical of Bush in the past without eliciting a response from the White House.
Taken together, the mistakes in Middle East policy would fill volumes. But Carter, who cultivates an image of fairness and integrity, should understand better than anyone that our current problems have been a long time in the making, dating back to his own bad judgment. It probably is time for him to restrict himself to pounding nails in houses for the poor.
Dan Thomasson writes for Scripps Howard News Service.
Bumbling incompetent that he was, I too thought Carter was a “nice guy” until his anti-Israel, Jew-bashing tirades opened my eyes. Even though I was a kid during his Reign of Errors, I realized he was no friend to Israel. But it was only recently that I became aware of how deep his hatred runs :-(
He does not have the sense that God gave a goose.
Their behaviour is similar.
We have flocks of Canadian Geese that no longer migrate.
They take up camp, and crap all over the lawns of their hosts and benefactors. They are foul and noisy. And they do not know when to take a graceful exit and LEAVE.
Maybe he was a goose in a former life, or will be one in the next-And may it be soon.
pong
He has done great things for America.
Having the forsight to give the Panama Canal to the deserving Panamanians was nothing short of a stroke of genius. Our friends, the Chinese, now have the opportunity of demonstrating their great skill in running such an installation as the PC. Jimmy is an appropriate nickname for such an illustrious leader of men. After all he has 'jimmied' everything he has attempted with his sweet wife Rozalind standing (inches above him)beside her man, the Oracle of Plains.
Jimmy is to America like Robert Byrd is to the Senate: an embarassment like none other.
His greatest achievement, besides being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (for whatever reason should escape everyone) is that he builds houses for welfare receipients. He literally pounds nails into tar-paper shacks for these deserving underachieving losers.
He and Rozalind bravely left their Baptist Church because they saw the inherent evil there. The Baptists refused to accept abortion and, even more cruely, refused to accept homosexuals as pastors.
Jimmy will be long remembered after he passes on to whatever punishment is meted out to one such as himself. He will be remembered as a very ignorant cracker who brought much shame to Georgia both as governor and president.
I remember waking up to the news of this and thinking "Can't we do anything right anymore?"
That does describe him perfectly especially the crapping all over the place.
I would like to propose a new law that all ex-Presidents must have their larynx removed as soon as they leave office.
Jimmy the cracker? Did Jimmy crack corn? Well, I don’t care.
Scripps author Thomasson is either blindly dishonest or plain stupid when he states that Bush was unable “to bring key European allies into the mix.” First, the statement should read, “to bring the European Left into the mix.” Second, who have been America’s allies in Europe? If Bosnia in the 1990s serves as an example we have damned few. If we look at NATO in 2003 we had damned few. Belgium and Holland? Two nations fearful of their own Muslim populations. Scandanavia? Not worth a bucket of warm spit and hasn’t been for decades. Germany? Scared to death of their own Turks. Italy? Like France the decadence is astounding. Greece? Hasn’t been an ally of the US for years. Spain? The Muslims are slowly but surely reconquering the Iberian Peninsula. Russia? A kleptocracy. Eastern Europe has guts, but somehow those nations don’t count with guys like Thomasson. Thus we are left with Britain and Australia and slowly but very slowly Canada is returning to the fold. Thank God the old alliance endures, and it is the one that really counts to everyone but the American media.
His hatred has been running for years. He accepts money fropm the Saudis. I believe he has been expelled from the Baptist Convention. He is not a “nice guy”. We have a big problem with Iran because of him!
But-but he received the Nobel “Purple Thumb” award for constructive hammering.
Yes, and if he's as brilliant as he claims even he must know that by now, although in his warped mind the "apartheid" in Israel is a bigger problem. He is despicable. My father is sorry he voted for him.
Poor Jimbo had one too many hammers dropped on his peanut head.
Pray for W and Our Troops
I always considered Carter as inert as POTUS. Please explain how we have a problem with Iran beause of him. Our problems with Iran started long before he showed up. I believe it was 1953.
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