Posted on 02/24/2010 8:15:01 AM PST by LouAvul
Former President Jimmy Carter, who can get good and cranky when he feels his legacy is being misrepresented, is slamming Foreign Policy for publishing a takedown of his foreign affairs record that cautioned President Obama from succumbing to the "Carter Syndrome."
The former president, who is credited with brokering the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, took issue with author Walter Russell Mead, who accused him of crafting a scattered and indecisive foreign policy.
Plus the editors should have called him for comment, he says in an emotional and candid letter.
"The editors apparently accepted without checking the author's facts or giving me a chance to comment. I won't criticize or correct his cute and erroneous oversimplistic distortions of presidential biographies and history except when he refers specifically to me," writes Carter in a letter published today on the magazine's Web site. [h/t Sam Stein]
"I resent Mead's use of such phrases as "in the worst scenario, turn him [Obama] into a new Jimmy Carter," "weakness and indecision," and "incoherence and reversals" to describe my service. An especially aggravating error is his claiming, "by the end of his tenure he was supporting the resistance to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, increasing the defense budget, and laying the groundwork for an expanded U.S. presence in the Middle East." None of these were late decisions based on a tardy realization of my earlier errors and misjudgments."
In one particularly striking passage, Carter defends his decision to avoid a direct attack on Iran during the hostage crisis (although he did approve of the ill-fated 1980 rescue mission), with the implicit suggestion that attacking the Islamic republic over its nuclear program would be an equally bad decision.
"The unwarranted capture and holding of U.S. diplomats by militants was the major cause of my defeat for re-election, but my decision to refrain from military action -- unless they harmed a hostage -- proved to be well-advised," he writes. "I could have ordered massive destruction in Iran with our mighty military power, but this would have resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent Iranians, and it is certain that our hostages would have been assassinated."
Instead, Carter says, his diplomats "persisted with patience" in voiding the loss of life -- even though Ronald Reagan and his advisers "chose not to be involved or even informed about progress."
He adds: "Although it is true that we did not become involved in military combat during my presidency, I do not consider this a sign of weakness or reason for apology. While maintaining the peace, for ourselves and many others, we greatly expanded our global influence and also protected the security, strength, ideals, and integrity of the United States."
Carter's missive is accompanied by a letter from Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter's former national security adviser, with a point-by-point rebuttal to the Mead piece.
“Carter’s missive is accompanied by a letter from Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter’s former national security adviser, with a point-by-point rebuttal to the Mead piece.”
What else do these two have to do with their time?
Amen and AMEN!
The situation in Iran is Carter’s contribution!
He's here, so you can go now.
Yes, the Iran AND Iraq AND Afghanistan AND Palestinian messes are Carter’s fault.
Actually everthing Muslim Jihad from Egypt to Pakistan is Carter’s fault.
I lived through the Carter years. His disasterous foreign policy was well understood. It was mocked and derided by friend and foe alike and was clearly seen as clubfooted and amateurish at the time, not to mention dangerous.
Talk all you want, Jimmuh - your Presidency and your foreign policy WAS a disaster.
We don’t need a letter from Mr. Rabbit Toy. We survivied (barely) his horrible term in office and recall all of it with dread.
Call the Whaaamber Lamps!
“I resent Mead’s use of such phrases as “in the worst scenario, turn him [Obama] into a new Jimmy Carter,” “weakness and indecision,” and “incoherence and reversals” to describe my service.
How about phrases like: pathetic loser; hung-like-a-hamster old woman; liver-lipped human Tampon; billboard-sized toothy walking joke; “Let me ask Amy” foreign policy strategy; lives in mortal fear of large rodents; drove wife to drink; religious maniac/crazy as a bedbug?
You left out the most damning epithet: liberal.
“Instead, Carter says, his diplomats “persisted with patience” in voiding the loss of life — even though Ronald Reagan and his advisers “chose not to be involved or even informed about progress.” “
And still, amazingly enough, Ronald Reagan and his advisers somehow managed to put an end to that fiasco - and somehow Jimmah manages to skip that part of the story.
My advice to Mr. Peanut would be to sit down and keep your mouth shut for once in your life and it will gaurentee that your presidential status will improve from “worst ever” to 2nd worst ever...
Billy catah should have been president... catah should have shelled peanuts.
LLS
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