James Earl Carter: Snatching Failure From The Jaws Of Defeat

It's impossible to come up with a more embarrassing non-presidential-acting, Presidential figure than James Earl (Jimmy) Carter. His constant antics seemingly never enough, the woefully failed President continues to interfere in our politics on an ongoing basis.

Mr. Carter said he made a personal promise to ambassadors from Egypt, Pakistan, and Cuba on the U.N. change issue that was undermined by America's ambassador, John Bolton. "My hope is that when the vote is taken," he told the Council on Foreign Relations, "the other members will outvote the United States."

I believe if you want to understand Carter's (I can't even bring myself to type former President anymore) incessant need to futilely interject himself into areas for which he proved fully unqualified, even as President, one needs to look back to Reagan.

While I would always give former President Reagan the much credit deserved, and not often enough given during his lifetime, especially by the media, for re-invigorating not just conservatism, but American politics as a whole, one cannot dismiss the fact that the ascendancy of conservatism in America today has much to do with Carter's tragic failure as President, as well.

Carter came to Washington as an outsider, a peanut farmer allegedly destined to re-define America's politics around integrity, values and trust. Unfortunately, so inadequately was he prepared to govern - and so dangerous was the International terrain at the time, it swallowed Carter and his most unfortunate Presidency up faster than his brother Billy could down a beer.

You know who really didn't like Carter when he came to Washington? Ted Kennedy and crew, of course. The powers that be on the Left, as it were. Carter was an outsider, a new man, a man of simple values without hidden agendas and malice toward none. blah blah blah

But look at how things stand now. I refuse to believe Carter is simply driven by personal pride, I can't believe that simple rationale as I've always felt that inside, Carter is not a vain man. No, I think in keeping with the religious fellow that he is, it's atonement he seeks most of all.

The reformer from Plains has become a lap-dog of the more fervent Left in the end. I suspect he most wants to be liked, accepted and ultimately forgiven by the very people he, almost as much as anyone else, ushered out into their current political cold. How sad.

Why else would he continually break with one of our more honorable political traditions - former Presidents don't attack, and especially don't personally attack a sitting President?

Or, is Carter simply worn out, failed and failing, or completely crazy in the end? Either way, the man has become interminably sad.

Asked yesterday about his views on religion, Mr. Carter said, "The essence of my faith is one of peace." In a clear swipe at Mr. Bush's faith, and to a round of applause, he then added, "We worship the prince of peace, not of pre-emptive war." Mr. Carter then went on to attack American Christians who support Israel.

He also reiterated his known view that most of the problems in the Israeli-Arab front derive from Israel's settlement policies and its building of a defensive barrier in what he insisted on calling "Palestine."

 

Comments

[Florida Patty]

and he looked so promising with his hayseed smile and grassy roots campaign. Heck, even his walk to the White House made us all feel like this was a working man.

*sigh* alas.

It was a fascade covered in peanut shells. Miss Lillian and Billy were more entertaining than the span of his first 100 days.

[splashtc]

Isn't there some charity he can work for.

[Mack]

What makes this dictator loving megalomaniac think that he can make promises for the US to foreign officials? Who does he think he is? It is his "promises" that got us where we are with North Korea, since Bill Clinton decided to honor Carter's promises by providing nuclear fuel to Pyongyang.

[bbunnybluebird]

What makes this dictator loving megalomaniac think that he can make promises for the US to foreign officials? Who does he think he is? It is his "promises" that got us where we are with North Korea, since Bill Clinton decided to honor Carter's promises by providing nuclear fuel to Pyongyang.

Posted by: Mack | Friday, March 03, 2006 at 02:02 PM

Carter is, was, and always will be a Communist; his pseudo-religion comes after being a crook and a Kool-aid drinking, true believing elitist. He is just a bitter man who hates his country, set out to destroy it, and remake it in his vision, and failed at that along with everything else. His "promises" that his fellow traveler Clinton honored with N. Korea are nothing compared to his promises to the Soviets and Khoumeni who brought down the Shah and began the cycle of the middle east mess we are locked into. America's Numero Uno WORST President, James Earl Carter!

[Sharon]

Yep, when I was a young girl, Good Ole' Jimmy was one of my daddy's friends (I am from Middle Georgia). By the time he became President and into his administration, I, as a young girl, was extremely ashamed to admit that I was from GA, much less knew him...He was a good ole boy and should have stayed that way, up until the end (meaning now, he should still be on his farm, plowing up the peanuts).

Glad my daddy died and was buried before Jimmy was elected. He would have hung his head in shame, also.

[tk]

Please, the man is an idiot. He had his wife drag their luggage down pennsylvania avenue. The scene was unreal. He walked ahead and she was left to drag to luggage behind him. As president he left our people to rot in Iran for over a year. A coward to the end. As a young graduate student in 1974 I could list all his faults, but the truth is in the end he wanted all of us to thing the world had ended. He thought he was morally superior to us all. For me it didn't matter, all I could see was this woman bent over, dragging their suitcase down the avenue as the fool was waving to the crowd.

[Shonane]

I don't think Jimmy C is sad. I think he is quite amazing, even though I do agree that his was not one of the presidental administrations that will be as favorably remembered as others. ( I remember the awful interest rates and gas prices.) However, I also will remember out of conrol spending and a horror of a federal deficit as a legacy of Bush - so different presidents will leave their own bad tastes.

And former presidents DO INDEED criticize sitting presidents if they adamantly disagree with the president's policies. John Bolton is very unpopular in the US himself.

I don't know enough about this specific position in the UN or if I would agree or disagree with Bolton's position if I did. I do believe if Jimmy C said C. Rice told him that the US would not stay with the position Bolton was promoting, that she probably agreed with Jimmy C, no matter how the final position stood.

That said, I do not think it is appropriate for Jimmy C to encourage others to vote against the US position in the UN. The Human Rights Commission is one of his pet areas, so he must have felt very strongly about his stance to do this.

[Hobo]

Splashtc: Carter spends a lot of time with Habitat For Humanity, building homes for the low income. While I have nothing good to say for Jesse Jackson (I used to really respect him until I read the book SHAKEDOWN by Timmerman), Jesse took the suggestion to get the hell out of South Africa when he went there and got involved in their polotics. The (SA)President told to leave and stop being meddlesome in others' politics. JJ left (and I think still owes an $8000 hotel bill).

[Bullgator]

As if he didn't screw up bad enough when he was actually president...

[DoorMart]

What is really sad is GW Bush is acting more and more like Carter...a Leftist Globo-Socialist. Both support the Ports Deal w the terrorist supporting United Arab Extremists

[roy]

He may not have been a president to be proud of but now he seems more informed and less one-sided than most of his critics.

[rachel swartz]

i think this artical stinks and is untrue.i don't think you know how hard it is to be the presidant.