JIMMY CARTER: 'I Could Have Wiped Iran Off The Map'

Former President Jimmy Carter marked his 90th birthday Wednesday with a lengthy interview on CNBC Meets where he discussed his one term in office and the one thing he would have handled differently — the Iran Hostage Crisis.

Carter suggested Operation Eagle Claw, a failed 1980 attempt to rescue the hostages taken by Iranian revolutionaries at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, could have been successful if he committed one more helicopter to the mission.

"I think I would have been re-elected easily if I had been able to rescue our hostages from the Iranians," said Carter. "And everybody asks me what would do more, I would say I would send one more helicopter because if I had one more helicopter we could have brought out not only the 52 hostages, but also brought out the rescue team, and when that failed, then I think that was the main factor that brought about my failure to be re-elected. So that's one thing I would change."

Operation Eagle Claw was aborted after three of the helicopters taking part in the mission experienced mechanical problems.

The hostage rescue plan was so complex, and depended on so many things going right, I still cannot believe the military agreed to it without White House coercion.

I read a summary at Wikipedia to refresh my memory.

It took me 5 minutes just to get the names of all the officers and military units straight in my mind.

I had forgotten the plan included “hiding” 8 helicopters and about 100 men for 24 hours at the Desert Two base outside Tehran!

Meanwhile, at the Desert One Base, we had to detain a bus load of Iranians who were using a road that went right through the landing zone!

Yeah, like nobody is going to come looking for those folks when the sun comes up?

And, we had planes and choppers flying all over Iranian airspace.

How could we possibly keep this plan a secret?

The extraction plan was almost as nutty as the insertion.

From Desert Two we had to drive to the embassy in downtown Tehran, seize the embassy from a hostile force, locate the hostages, then move them across the street to a soccer stadium where rescue helicopters would land and pick them up.

So, home free after the stadium?

Nope.

While all this is going on, Army Rangers are supposed to seize an Iranian Air Force Base near Tehran.

The choppers from the stadium are supposed to fly to the seized Air Force Base where C-141’s would land, pick up everybody, then fly them to safety.

Imagine if you were a hostage and someone explained this plan to you before it happened.

I would say, “No thank you.”

Either I would killed, or dozens of soldiers would die trying to rescue me, or both.

Gees! Just one more helicopter? Tell us another story jimmah!
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Right. I believe the other helos went down due to sand in the air. Why does he think one more helo wouldn’t have also gone down for the same reason.

I’ve no idea how this idiot Carter got a commission from the USNA and served on a nuke sub. It’s a wonder the crewmen didn’t fire him out through a torpedo tube.

If he had any decency at all, he’d step away from the spotlight.
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Bill Clinton and Carter have gone all over the world bashing the US since they were POTUS and Obama has done it during his term as POTUS.

GW Bush, IMO, did the right thing when he chose to not chime in constantly on what his successor was or was not doing.

Instead, Bush hosts annual events for wounded warriors, like the 100 mile mountain bike rides and the golf tournaments. He has always shown high respect for our military vets!

Clinton, Carter and Obama have never shown such respect.

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