Carter should just butt out ("Peace-fixer" for the "Price-fixer" --- Mouthpiece for ADM?) *** Fidel Castro, looking for a public-relations coup, obviously knew what he was doing when he invited Carter to visit. Castro just had to read the newspapers to see how willing Carter was to undercut President George W. Bush's foreign policy in the past. Last winter, for instance, Carter sounded more like a former European leader when he derided Bush's characterization of Iran, Iraq and North Korea as "the axis of evil." The comparison is apt because Carter, like most European leaders, appears to believe that the United States should meld its national interests with theirs rather than give priority to our needs. That was the approach taken by Carter, who, as president, seemingly never met a crisis about which he was unwilling to wring his hands without acting decisively. Apparently, Carter thought Bush sounded too strident in identifying America's enemies and worried about hurting their feelings.
No surprise. Carter offered much the same criticism of Ronald Reagan's solution to the Cold War -- challenge the Russians to match America's military might or get out of the superpower business. Reagan's policy was dangerous, Carter said at the time. Perhaps. However, during Reagan's watch, the United States and the Soviet Union began limiting nuclear arms because of Reagan's "peace through strength" approach, unlike Carter's penchant for whining loudly and seeing problems as beyond the United States' ability to fix. Instead of provoking a third world war, Reagan's policies led to the unraveling of a Soviet empire that, during Carter's watch, expanded its influence while the American president boldly responded by canceling U.S. participation in the Olympics.***
Officials contradict remarks by Carter (Carter miffed by U.S. bio-weapons statement) *** Carter suggested Monday that Bolton's statement about biological weapons in Cuba was aimed at embarrassing him during his visit. "These allegations were made, maybe not coincidentally, just before our visit to Cuba," he said.***
July 27, 2001 - Shut up, Jimmy Carter: Debbie Schlussel says former prez should stick to peanuts*** Carter also had the chutzpah to criticize Bush on his missile defense program and abandonment of the 1972 ABM Treaty. "I think it will re-escalate the arms race," and is a setback for the "prestige and respect due our country." That's strange, since our country was the world's Rodney Dangerfield during his presidency, and he attempted to negotiate foolish new arms treaties, like SALT II, all of which the Soviets laughingly cheated on.
Fortunately, Ronald Reagan, Bush's foreign and defense policy role model, repaired much of the damage with his peace through strength paradigm. But we are still paying, diplomatically and strategically, for Carter's failings. And his comments are that of a jealous has-been, envious that in six months President Bush has had more foreign policy backbone and success than Carter ever had in his four nightmarish years.
Thank G-d, Jimmy Carter was only a one-term president. Now, if only he could end his classless dissing campaign and shut up. Or stick to something he actually knows something about. Like peanuts.***