"Jimmy Carter: An American Disgrace"

Vincent Fiore writing in the The New Media Journal has a few things to say about thankfully former President Jimmy Carter. I suppose you realize that when the nicest thing Fiore can say about President Carter was that he is ineffectual, the overall tone of the story is not pleasant.

But from a former president, I expect more, and so should everyone. It defies explanation how this humane but embittered man from Georgia can say just about anything and not be condemned by a press that certainly knows better.

But really, why should anyone be surprised? Carter has been doing this to Republican Presidents since he was--with extreme prejudice--voted out of office in 1980. Some of Carter’s verbal exploits include:

*Regarding President Ronald Reagan’s talks with Mikhail Gorbachev at Reykjavik : “I have always thought ‘Star Wars’ was a big mistake. My judgment is President Reagan missed a wonderful opportunity”

*Regarding President George H.W. Bush’s preparations during the Gulf War: "We are not planning now a defensive deployment of U.S. forces. We are now planning an offensive operation.” Days later at a conference at New York's Hofstra University, Carter states that if Bush attacks Iraq, the U.S. would “reap great and very serious deleterious consequences politically.”

*Regarding Bush’s “Axis of Evil” comment in the 2002 State of the Union address: “I think it will take years before we can repair the damage done by that statement…it was overly simplistic and counterproductive.”

It was once upon a time that U.S. presidents displayed the daily prestige and cognizance of the office of president not only when in it, but also out of it. Principally, criticism of current occupants of the White House was most often relayed privately, and was rarely seen on the op-ed pages of any major news organs. Sadly, former President Carter has deferred to pageantry instead of principle, an apt conclusion for a man whose presidency was more caricature than commanding.

(h/t to Right Nation)