Stop picking on Jimmy Carter

Christiansciencemonitor.com ^ | 1/4/08 | Walter Rodgers

[melt]

He suffers from an egregiously unfair reputation. His record, though, shows he was quite a good president

Oakton, Va. - In this season of new resolutions, Americans would do well to rethink their perceptions of Jimmy Carter. President Carter has suffered the misfortune of having his legacy almost entirely shaped by his political enemies rather than by objective reality or a basic sense of American fairness.

Today, Carter is caricatured as a weak-kneed, sweater-wearing puritan who struggled with lust in his heart, presided over a malaised America, and micromanaged even the scheduling of the White House tennis courts. More recently, he's taken heat for his blunt portrayal of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.

What an egregiously undeserved reputation. Carter wasn't just a "good man who got in over his head," as critics say. He was in fact quite a good president.

He kept us out of endless wars. He protected the Alaskan wilderness (Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D) of Wisconsin once told me that "Carter was the greatest environmental president the country ever had.") He promoted a visionary energy policy. He countered the Soviet military threat. And since he left office, he has persistently promoted the cause of peace around the world. The landmark Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty he fashioned remains in force today.

Against the backdrop of an unnecessary trillion-dollar war in Iraq, it is instructive to recall how Carter avoided a similar morass when he negotiated the Panama Canal treaties, for which he was excoriated by Ronald Reagan's Republicans. When he left office, he was able to say with Thomas Jefferson "[D]uring the period of my administration not a drop of the blood of a single citizen was shed by the sword of war."

In the public mind, Carter continues to be judged as "ineffectual."

[TribalPrincess2U]

Always trying to rewrite history.

[TWohlford]

"Jimmah let the mullahs rule in Iran, gave away the Panama canal, and gave us 18% inflation.

Actually it was only 13% inflation as I recall. This inflation was the predictable result of the Nixon administration's dumping of money into the economy to stimulate the economy, combined with previous laws (Reg Q comes to mind) that capped interest rates that would've otherwise mopped up that excess money.
Carter's real problem is that once his initial ideas didn't work, and once it was obvious that his initial staff wasn't up to the task, he then tried to lead by consensus. In other words, he held his finger up in the wind to figure out which way the winds were going, in order to guide the ship. Clinton did the same thing, but was a good enough politician to get away with it (plus the economy was good).

The timing of this article is interesting -- perhaps the Left is hearing the ghosts of Carter Administrations past in the words of Obama too?

[Wil H]

The SOB GAVE AWAY the Panama Canal which is now under CHINESE control!

[FlingWingFlyer]

If he wasn’t the worst president ever, why did they award him the Nobel “Peace” Prize? That award is only given to people who are out to stick it to America.

[musicman]

From the article:

"More recently, he's (Carter) taken heat for his blunt portrayal of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. "

[Seven plus One]

I lived through the Jimmy years, even voted for Ford, (argghh) so I don’t know who this writer is trying to fool; maybe someone born since then who can’t read, knows nothing, and doesn’t care anyway.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

J. Carter is still mad that Mount St. Helens
was not renamed the “Magma Carter”.

[Anti-Christ is Hillary]

“Worst until the Magic Hero that is.”

“The One” will make the Carter years look like the good old days.

[Woebama]

LOL

[Evil Slayer]

Why's everybody pickin on me?

[machogirl]

political humor, right?

[Rebelbase]

On the lighter side, Jimmah’s brother was highly entertaining.

[musicman]

"Jimmy Carter: Worst President Ever."

[stylin19a]

sorry..not an “official” war. (s/off)

[TribalPrincess2U]

Is that the “nukular” pronunciation the left always castigated GW for saying?

[gwilhelm56]

**We conservatives are just so damned “outcome based”**

Actually we prefer the term .. RESULTS ORIENTED

and Jimmuh was ... NEITHER

[umgud]

Breaking News: Obama lands on trip from Chicago. All nets covering it.

Sorry, now you can return to regularily scheduled Freeping.

[nbhunt]

oh, pleeeezzzze, give me a break. Most of us are not the ill informed Obama voters.

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

Jimmy Carter’s presidency was like the Detroit Lions 2008 season.

[Revolting cat!]

If the 18% inflation was Jimmah's fault, then of course it goes that the $5 gallon gasoline, the housing bubble and the Wall Street debacle, including Bernie Madoff's scheme were all Saint Dubya's fault, no?

The economy rolls pretty much on its own and the POTUSi can only help screwing it up, but blaming the 18% inflation on poor Jimmah is going a bit too far, me thinks.