Placelowerplace Report This Comment Date: May 19, 2007 07:07PM
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Former President Carter says President Bush's
administration is "the worst in history" in international relations,
taking aim at the White House's policy of pre-emptive war and its Middle East
diplomacy.
The criticism from Carter, which a biographer says is unprecedented for the 39th
president, also took aim at Bush's environmental policies and the
administration's "quite disturbing" faith-based initiative
funding.
"I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this
administration has been the worst in history," Carter told the Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette in a story that appeared in the newspaper's Saturday editions.
"The overt reversal of America's basic values as expressed by previous
administrations, including those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan
and Richard Nixon and others, has been the most disturbing to
me."
Carter spokeswoman Deanna Congileo confirmed his comments to The Associated
Press on Saturday and declined to elaborate. He spoke while promoting his new
audiobook series, "Sunday Mornings in Plains," a collection of weekly
Bible lessons from his hometown of Plains, Ga.
"Apparently, Sunday mornings in Plains for former President Carter includes
hurling reckless accusations at your fellow man," said Amber Wilkerson,
Republican National Committee spokeswoman. She said it was hard to take
Carter seriously because he also "challenged Ronald Reagan's strategy for
the Cold War."
Carter came down hard on the Iraq war.
"We now have endorsed the concept of pre-emptive war where we go to war
with another nation militarily, even though our own security is not directly
threatened, if we want to change the regime there or if we fear that some time
in the future our security might be endangered," he said. "But that's
been a radical departure from all previous administration policies."
Carter, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, criticized Bush for having
"zero peace talks" in Israel. Carter also said the
administration "abandoned or directly refuted" every negotiated
nuclear arms agreement, as well as environmental efforts by other
presidents.
Carter also offered a harsh assessment for the White House's Office of
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which helped religious charities receive
$2.15 billion in federal grants in fiscal year 2005 alone.
"The policy from the White House has been to allocate funds to religious
institutions, even those that channel those funds exclusively to their own
particular group of believers in a particular religion," Carter said.
"As a traditional Baptist, I've always believed in separation of church and
state and honored that premise when I was president, and so have all other
presidents, I might say, except this one."
Douglas Brinkley, a Tulane University presidential historian and Carter
biographer, described Carter's comments as unprecedented.
"This is the most forceful denunciation President Carter has ever made
about an American president," Brinkley said. "When you call somebody
the worst president, that's volatile. Those are fighting words."
Carter also lashed out Saturday at British prime minister Tony Blair.
Asked how he would judge Blair's support of Bush, the former president said:
"Abominable. Loyal. Blind. Apparently subservient."
"And I think the almost undeviating support by Great Britain for the
ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the
world," Carter told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.
madhatter Report This Comment Date: May 19, 2007 11:40PM
Carters' record in office speaks for itself,He lives in a tri-level
glass hose.
Anonymous Report This Comment Date: May 20, 2007 02:21AM
Let me put this into terms that everyone everywhere can understand
it.......
Bush
Sucks!
90130_ Report This Comment Date: May 20, 2007 06:33AM
Yeah, what madhatter said. Fuck Jimmy Carter.
jgoins Report This Comment Date: May 20, 2007 12:10PM
Why are the American people so fickle. Prior to the invasion of Iraq a vast
majority of us supported it and supported the President. Now after the fact
these same people waffle on the decision and don't have the guts to stand by
their decision. It makes me wonder how we ever survived 2 world wars and lasted
over 200 years. How can we hope to survive another 200 years if we can't make a
decision and stick to it when the goiing gets tough to make it work? Think back
to when the decision was being made to invade Iraq and the reason you supported
it, if the reason was good enough for you back then why are you giving up on it
now? Going to war is just like using a gun to shoot someone who you think is
going to shoot you. Once you pull the trigger you cannot pull that bullet back
into the gun once it has left the barrel. I supported the invasion and freely
admit it. I also support the destruction of Iran and Syria's governments
through military means. I don't believe in nation building or repairing what we
destroy though war either but if that is what our government wants to try to do
then more power to them as long as they don't forget to go on after the
countries who support terrorism.
jgoins Report This Comment Date: May 21, 2007 11:15AM
Just show him a rabbit and he will run away screaming.
duane Report This Comment Date: May 22, 2007 07:58PM
Carter sucks ass. He has to do something to stay in the limelight.
