Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter was on Larry King Live Wednesday night.

I know he was the President of the United States, but aren't we pretty much all in agreement that he was a disaster in office?

He was a disaster on domestic issues and he was a disaster on international matters. Carter's presidency was a dismal failure.

So why is he treated like the wise elder statesman?

Transcript

Carter on Iraq:

CARTER: My own preference would be that over a period of time in a very cautious and methodical way that we could remove our troops from Iraq, I'd say certainly say over a period of a year and that should be done with the public approval from the government of Iraq.

I think a lot of the disturbance on the streets of Iraq, particularly around Baghdad, is caused by the continued presence of the United States and the lack of a commitment by Washington to remove U.S. troops at any time in the foreseeable future.

So, that assurance I think would be an alleviation of the tension. And, obviously from the very beginning there have been people from Washington who believed and have claimed and some of them still claim that Saddam Hussein and the Iraqis were involved in the 9/11 attacks, which is proven to be false. And so, I think this attempt to connect Iraq with terrorism against us, 9/11 and since then, has been an error and a misjudgment.

So Carter thinks that it's the U.S. presence in Iraq that is causing the violence.

What does he think would happen if U.S. troops left?

Does he think that suddenly there would be harmony in Iraq?

That's nuts.

I get the feeling that Carter would be more willing to buy into 9/11 conspiracy theories, that the U.S. government orchestrated the attacks, then he would be willing to admit that terrorists operate out of Iraq and pose a threat to our security.

Carter is the epitome of the "useful idiot."

Carter on the War on Terror:

KING: Is this a struggle for civilization as the president says?

CARTER: Well, I don't think there's any doubt that the present altercation with terrorists is a very serious problem that every person of respect in the whole world, including the United States, ought to address. But it certainly ought not to be escalated to a struggle for civilization.

There's no doubt in my mind that the United States is secure, stable, permanent. Our government will survive any threat to the existence of America or the existence of democratic freedoms in our country or in Europe and different places, including Japan, are stable and sound. So, I think that's a gross exaggeration of a threat, although the threat is serious.

Carter, like other fringe Dems, don't get it.

They refuse to heed the terrorists' own words.

The terrorists intend to force Americans to convert to Islam and submit to them or they will kill us. That's the plan. It's no secret.

To say that democracy is threatened is not a "gross exaggeration."

Did Carter happen to see the footage of the Islamofascists flying the planes into the World Trade Center?

I think that act was quite UNCIVILIZED.

These Dem appeasers don't understand the threat. That's the problem.

Carter on Vice President Cheney:

KING: We're back with President Jimmy Carter. Your reaction to Vice President Cheney's assertion that the criticism of Iraq, the Iraq war, emboldens United States enemies and makes allies doubt American resolve.

CARTER: Well, the vice president unfortunately has been consistently very careless with the truth. He still maintains some preposterous comments and attitudes toward the origins of the Iraqi war, the circumstances in Iraq now and he's had a policy in my opinion of deliberately trying to mislead the American people by making untrue statements and there's no reason to give any credence to his ridiculous claims that you've just described.

KING: But why -- so you're questioning his motives? Do you think he doesn't really agree with what we're doing?

CARTER: I really don't know what his real policies or beliefs are but I do know that he's been most consistent since the very origin of the Iraqi war in deliberately misleading the American people by making false statements, statements that I'm sure he knew were not true.

And this is a very serious thing for a highly placed official in America to do and even now he still will not admit, for instance, that Saddam Hussein was not at least partially possible for the 9/11 attacks, when the president himself has said that's a false statement.

And to constantly say that anybody that criticizes any aspect of our misguided policies in Iraq are unpatriotic and imply our condoning of terrorist attacks is completely ridiculous and ought to be refuted forcefully by everybody.

Carter is accusing the Vice President of being a liar.

That's sort of funny given the fact the Carter is actually lying about Cheney.

These appeaser Dems are so sensitive about their patriotism.

I wonder why. Feeling guilty?

It's really disgusting that Carter would attack the Vice President with guns blazing. Carter exhibits a complete lack of respect for the administration.

Compare his behavior with how President Bush 41 treated Bill Clinton and his administration. The difference is night and day.

Did President George H.W. Bush go on a Clinton-bashing tour?

Of course not.

Carter is classless.


Carter on Joe Lieberman:

KING: What are your thoughts on Senator Joe Lieberman not getting the Democratic nomination and therefore running as an Independent in Connecticut?

CARTER: I'm really sorry that he's running as an Independent and I'm grateful to notice that all the Democrats who are loyal to our party, loyal to our principles are not supporting him and are hoping that he will be defeated.

I think Joe Lieberman is a good man. He's been strongly in favor of the Iraqi war from its very beginning. He was one of the originators of the public statements that misled the American people into believing that the Iraqi war was justified.

He's been an undeviating supporter of the war from the very beginning and still is. He's joined in with the Republican spokespersons by saying the Democrats who disagree are really supporting terrorism. So for all these reasons I've lost my confidence in Joe Lieberman and don't wish to see him reelected.

KING: Would you say you're disappointed?

CARTER: Yes, I'm disappointed and surprised. I thought that Joe Lieberman, like all the rest of us down through history that have faced a tough campaign and lost, almost invariably the losers have said "Well that was an honest election" which it was in Connecticut. "I accept the results and I'm willing now to support my opponent who won." And that's what America is about and I think that Joe Lieberman is departing from that in a very disappointing fashion.

Carter doesn't practice what he preaches.

When he lost to Ronald Reagan, he didn't just move on. He was absolutely devastated.

Carter also seems to be suggesting that if you don't march in lockstep with the ultra-radical Left wing of the Democratic Party, you're a traitor and won't be tolerated by the extremist Dems, the Feingold types.

If I were Lieberman, I would wear Carter's disapproval with pride.

Carter on Israel:

KING: The Bush administration strongly supported Israel's activity in Lebanon but you recently told Der Spiegel, you said, "I don't think Israel has any legal or moral justification for their massive bombing of the entire nation of Lebanon." But isn't Israel, Mr. President, kind of between a rock and a hard place here?

CARTER: Well I think Israel should have responded by attacking the southern part of Lebanon and by dealing with the Hezbollah threat if they were going to refuse to make any sort of prisoner exchange to alleviate the tension.

But for them to decide to bomb the entire nation of Lebanon and to declare that the Hezbollah threat across the border that only involved the taking of two soldiers and the killing of a few others I think greatly and unnecessarily escalated the entire conflict and caused tens of thousands of people to suffer unnecessarily.

The biggest problem in the Mid East, Larry, is not that skirmish, which was very serious, on the Lebanese/Israeli border. The biggest problem has been caused by the total lack of any effort in the last five years to have a comprehensive negotiation between the Palestinians on the one hand and Israel on the other supported by the United States as a fairly objective mediator.

This is a radical departure from the effort of all previous presidents since Israel has had an altercation with its neighbors and that included George Bush, Sr. It included me and all the others.

But this administration has made no serious effort at all to bring the disputing parties together to act as a trusted mediator and to bring a comprehensive solution to the Mid East situation, which obviously involves a two state solution with Israel living in its own borders, with the Palestinians living in their borders and supported by the international community under the aegis of the international quartet and based on the roadmap plans. That's what needs to be done. The United States I think is a major culprit in not orchestrating such peace efforts.

Carter has made it quite clear that he is anti-Israel as well as anti-American.

He is a bitter old man.

I think he lashes out at others like this because he knows what his place in history is.

Yes, he's been embraced by Leftists around the world. He's been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Whatever.

Nothing can change the fact that he was one of the worst presidents of the 20th century.

And to date, he's the worst ex-president in American history.