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Carter Defends Handling of Hostage Crisis
Associated Press ^ | 11/16/09 | MICHAEL CASEY

Posted on 11/16/2009 12:54:51 PM PST by Baladas

CHIANG MAI, Thailand (Nov. 16) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Monday that he had no regrets about his handling of the Iran hostage crisis more than 30 years ago, saying he didn't attack the country as his advisers proposed because thousands of people would have died.

Islamic militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, and seized its occupants. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days.

Carter acknowledged that his failure to bring the hostages home — including a botched rescue mission in which eight U.S. servicemen died — led to his election defeat to President Ronald Reagan in 1980. The hostages were released on Jan. 20, 1981, just minutes after Reagan was sworn in as the new president.

"I don't have any doubt that was the main factor in my defeat," Carter told reporters in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, where he was helping build houses for Habitat for Humanity. "Obviously, if I had rescued the hostages or they had not been taken, I would have been re-elected."

Carter said one proposed option was a military strike on Iran, but he chose to stick with negotiations to prevent bloodshed and bring the hostages home safely.

"My main advisers insisted that I should attack Iran," he said. "I could have destroyed Iran with my weaponry. But I felt in the process it was likely the hostages' lives would be lost, and I didn't want to kill 20,000 Iranians. So I didn't attack."

(Excerpt) Read more at news.aol.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: dumbass; fail; iranhostagecrisis; islam; jimmycarter; libtards; peanuthead
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To: Sir Beowolf

“Have you noticed who is Potus Now?”

You think it stupidity or calculated evil?

Jimmy seemed to have good intentions at least, although he was so incompetent as to never be able to execute.

Zer0 is another thing. He hates this country and will do anything he can to destroy it.


141 posted on 11/17/2009 5:32:19 AM PST by bestintxas
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To: Joe Boucher

“Mr. Carter is garbage. Just like this elephant eared marxist p.o.s.”

Years later, many of his cabinet appointees said he was mentally unstable, and a dangerous man.


142 posted on 11/17/2009 5:53:10 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (Support our troops, and vote out the RINO's!)
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To: Lazamataz

Heh, heh... Is that the bunny who attacked him in the river?


143 posted on 11/17/2009 6:15:49 AM PST by LibertyRocks ( http://LibertyRocks.wordpress.com ~ ANTI-OBAMA STUFF : http://cafepress.com/NO_ObamaBiden08)
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To: Baladas
Carter?

Carter Who?

Wasn't there an inept, unprofessional, niave (sp?), lacking in common sense, former president with that name?

If this is the same person, why is he being given any press time? He's certainly not improved over the years.

Maybe it's time he stuck with his peanuts; he'll get all the trouble with them he's capable of handling.

144 posted on 11/17/2009 6:18:40 AM PST by Logic n' Reason (If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.)
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To: Baladas

I was 8 years old when Carter was elected. My dad lost his job a year later and was out of work for 14 months. I remember the stress, my parents fighting and sitting in lines with my mom waiting to buy gas on “odd-number” days. I get physically nauseous whenever I see Carter’s creepy old face.


145 posted on 11/17/2009 6:37:11 AM PST by ponygirl ("I can see the Olympic Stadium from my house!" - Barack Obama)
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To: Baladas

Carter forgets that he was the one who threw the Shah under the bus and caused the hostage taking to happen. He also forgets when he determines what caused his defeat things like “Malaise”, double digit unemployment, double digit interest rates and double digit inflation. He will go down as probably the worst President ever and the worst Ex-President.


146 posted on 11/17/2009 6:38:31 AM PST by Old Retired Army Guy (tHE)
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To: X-FID

I was on the fid during the ‘80 med cruise...we went to battle stations for 2 weeks during the rescue attempt...


147 posted on 11/17/2009 6:39:29 AM PST by joe fonebone (I am racist, hear me roar....I don't give a crap anymore....)
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To: FARS
There are people who still insist that Carter didn't topple the Shah, wasn't responsible for what happened etc etc etc.
In light of the mountain of evidence saying “Iran and islamic jihad are Carter's fault”, I'd say those people are purposefully stupid.
148 posted on 11/17/2009 6:55:13 AM PST by Darksheare (Tar is cheap, and feathers are plentiful.)
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To: Baladas
"I could have destroyed Iran with my weaponry."

Yeah, he could.

Mind Power
Laser Vision. and....
THE JOWLS OF DOOM!
149 posted on 11/17/2009 7:09:16 AM PST by SparkyBass
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To: Baladas

What an A$$wipe! still trying to make President Oba? look good by comparison...big of him, isn’t it! if he keeps it up, President Oba? will have to keep bowing to become the #1 A$$wipe president, after all!


150 posted on 11/17/2009 7:11:58 AM PST by CRBDeuce (here, while the internet is still free of the Fairness Doctrine)
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To: FARS; Ernest_at_the_Beach; george76; Travis McGee; Squantos; ASA Vet; BIGLOOK
Excellent summary of the dangerous Carter: Khomeini was the bubonic plague but Carter was the one who infected the world with it.
151 posted on 11/17/2009 7:21:36 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Does 0b0z0 have any friends, who aren't traitors, spies, tax cheats and criminals?)
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To: Baladas; george76; Milhous; FARS; BIGLOOK; BOBTHENAILER
Lillian Gordy Carter, who raised four kids during the Great Depression, once noted:

“Sometimes, when I look at my children, I wish I had remained a virgin.”

Lillian, millions of Americans wished that you had remained a virgin!

152 posted on 11/17/2009 7:31:34 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Does 0b0z0 have any friends, who aren't traitors, spies, tax cheats and criminals?)
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To: Baladas; Revolting cat!; Timesink; martin_fierro; reformed_democrat; Loyalist; =Intervention=; ...

He should meet with the former hostages and tell them this. Say on Nightline (a program launched out of the hostage crisis).


153 posted on 11/17/2009 8:40:41 AM PST by a fool in paradise (I refuse to "reduce my carbon footprint" all while Lenin remains in an airconditioned shrine)
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To: a fool in paradise
He should meet with the former hostages and tell them this. Say on Nightline (a program launched out of the hostage crisis).

EXCELLENT IDEA

bump...

154 posted on 11/17/2009 8:49:58 AM PST by null and void (We are now in day 300 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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To: null and void

Jimmy Carter is cool with the format, he’d just like to change venue and sit in the comfy chair on Al Jazeera...


155 posted on 11/17/2009 8:53:11 AM PST by a fool in paradise (I refuse to "reduce my carbon footprint" all while Lenin remains in an airconditioned shrine)
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To: a fool in paradise

*sigh* You know you’re old when...

...you can remember a democrat president who actually LIKED America.


156 posted on 11/17/2009 8:56:52 AM PST by null and void (We are now in day 300 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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To: FARS

Thanks for the ping!


157 posted on 11/17/2009 9:16:54 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: Carley

Whether it was misguided or not is certainly debatable, but poorly planned? I would give the military a break on that.

They were planning an operation that was at the very extreme limit of projection capability we had at the time.

They had neither the capabilities nor the infrastructure at the time to do it well, and the military was given a $hit sandwich to eat...I think they did the best they could with what they had, and doing something like that which left no room for error, well...if it can go wrong it will, and did.

Just my opinion...


158 posted on 11/17/2009 9:58:19 AM PST by rlmorel (Obama, The Flatulence of One Thousand Black Dogs After Eating Boiled Eggs Be Upon Him...)
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To: All

And one more thing...this is typical behavior from scummy liberals.

They demean, disparage, defund and vilify the military. Then, when they need them to pull their sorry ass out of a fire, the military doesn’t have the funding, equipment or the training to do the task which they must perform (or at least, try) regardless.

Failures are then blamed on the military. That is the pattern. And that is why Ann Coulter is spot on when she says Democrats should never be allowed near the levers of power in the government.


159 posted on 11/17/2009 10:06:59 AM PST by rlmorel (Obama, The Flatulence of One Thousand Black Dogs After Eating Boiled Eggs Be Upon Him...)
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To: All

“my weaponry”. Fiberals are consistent in their entitlement mentality.


160 posted on 11/17/2009 10:10:34 AM PST by WillVoteForFood
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