Former President Carter Takes president to task

[kskiska]

By JAMES PINKERTON

BROWNSVILLE -- Former President Carter on Thursday called the Bush administration's decision to wage war against Iraq "ill-advised and unnecessary," adding the resulting campaign "has turned out to be a tragedy."

The former Democratic president also said Bush's environmental policies are perhaps the worst in the nation's history.

Carter made the comments at the Rio R.V. Park after wrapping up a four-day birding trip with his wife, Rosalynn, in the lower Rio Grande Valley.

"President Bush's war was ill-advised and unnecessary and based on erroneous statements, and has turned out to be a tragedy," Carter said. "And my prayer has been that brave young American men and women, and others who are there, that their lives will be spared and there will be some peaceful resolution of the war."

Carter, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, also blamed what he called Bush's pro-Israel policies for engendering animosity against America.

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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2494559

[xxqqqzme]

1. I love Jimmy Carter!

n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

2. One of the best ex-Presidents we've ever had.

[elperromagico]

5. Ranks with Hoover as one of the best ex-Presidents.

Of course, Hoover had more to prove after his disastrous Presidency - probably never should have been President in the first place.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. I think Hoover got a much worse...

rap than he deserved. He made a lot of mistakes, but the mess was hardly all his fault, and he tried his best after all hell broke loose.

Eisenhower became president of Columbia U., and I'm having a brain fart about just who was the Supreme Court justice and which one served several terms in the Senate.

Not many of them did all that much after they left office.

[Dookus]

12. Taft

served as Chief Justice after the Presidency. None served in the Senate, but John Quincy Adams returned to the House of Representatives.

[TreasonousBastard]

13. Right...

brain fart relieved.


aahhhhhhh......

[MikeG]

14. One of the best presidents we ever had.

[Ravy]

26. Agreed! (n/t)

[shanti]

16. me too

jimmy doesn't speak out often, but when he does, he always has words of wisdom to impart.

[coltman]

3. President Carter is one the best.n/t

[Obamarama]

4. Carter has grown smarter PEANUTS than Bush...

Wish the wise man was back in office now.

[slinkerwink]

6. this man is the people's president

[TheWizardOfMudd]

7. Thanks, Jimmy

President Carter is probably the wisest of American statesmen.

There aren't a whole lot of men like him in the country.

And nobody EVEN CLOSE in the White House.

[keopeli]

8. Carter was the People's response to Nixon and Watergate.

He was the honest southern gentleman. He wore blue jeans in the oval office.

He told it like it is. He came on TV and pissed every American off with what he had to say. He was remorseful about the hostage crisis, but his only response was an unfortunate failure (Operation Sundown).

He was an environmentalist. He got Americans to turn their thermostat to 68. He was plagued with an energy crisis and an awful economy.

He brought together Israel and Egypt.

When he came on TV to talk about the hostages, after months and months of them being held, it was depressing. He told you the truth, and you didn't want to hear the truth. You wanted to hear about the possibilities of the future.

He lost badly.

He's always been honest. He's the Lincoln for the Democrats.

Like a fine wine, he seems to have improved with age, as well.

[JoFerret]

21. He lost because the election was stolen by

Bush Sr et al.

[Jackpine Radical]

24. The original October Surprise affair.

Reaganites got to the Iranians to make sure the embassy prisoners were held and not released until after the election, thus preventing any "October surprise" of a negotiated release before the election, which would have maybe saved Carter's Presidency. So the detainees were turned loose within hours of Reagan taking office in January 1981. The Reaganites then worked Iran-Contra as a means of paying off the Ayatollah for his willing collaboration in sabotaging the 1980 election.

[Jim Warren]

9. Rate the X prez.......tough choice

On the one hand, Jimmy Carter man of the people building Habitat houses, promoting peace in the world, a Nobel Peace prize and welcomed wherever he goes in the world.

And then poppy bush holed up in a Houston high rise selling death to the highest bidder for Carlyle.

[Manix]

10. ..a great American, not like that shameful war profiteering old man Bush.

[MikeG]

15. Carter was agonizing over the lives of 52 hostages while Reagan

was making deals with the Iranians to hold them longer. Reagan is getting his punishment now.

[ultramega]

17. My feeling also. And not afraid to say so.

Poetic justice, not just for this, but for the fact that Reagan ignored AIDS to the point that so many thousands died unnecessarily. "And the Band Played On", by Randy Shilts, lays out every tragic detail of how Reagan's dereliction of duty with regards to AIDS cost so many lives, particularly how his lack of leadership helped the Red Cross continue to drag it's feet about getting the nation's blood supply tested for HIV, so thousands of people got HIV from transfusions. Reagan was convinced it was a homosexual disease, so he stood by and did nothing, and did not fund research. He was ultimately an executioner, and the fact that he is dying and his wife is having to witness this, while our current president holds up research that could possibly help save Reagan's life (stem cell research) and hearing Nancy whine that Bush is "taking too long" to get this kind of research approved is proof to me that there is karmic justice in this world.

[54anickel]

18. Great president, and was also a Christian that did not abuse the power

of his office to promote the ideaology.
Just felt the need to point that out as Christians seem to get a bum rap here on DU a lot of the time.

[colonel odis]

19. amen, so to speak.

carter lives his faith and it shows. the way he conducts his life ought to be a recruiting film for christianity, in stark contrast to the fat, smug, hypocritical pharisees bush panders to.

this country did jimmy carter dirty. and with all his achievements -- many of which are grander than those during his white house tenure -- he's always had the class never to mug or preen and say "you never should've got rid of me."

a class act all the way. bush should salute and say "yes sir" anytime jimmy carter opens his mouth.

[0007]

22. Yes indeed, and President Carter sees the big picture all too clearly

The whole world knows that junior and his cabal along with Ariel Sharon and Tony Blair are ....are......

Evil Doer's

[54anickel]

25. Thanks! I thought I'd get flamed on that one. Remember also, that he

was considered "an outsider" sort of like Dean. No one expected him to win the primaries. If I remember correctly it was a surprise and orginally called for the other guy - who was that again? Having a brain fart right now.

[Barkley]

20. Know Justice, Know Peace!

If Kerry gets elected I hope that he listens to Jimmy on this one.

I don't think President Carter will (or should) stop his criticism of the Iraq situation just because the President happens to be a Democrat.

[goforit]

23. I love you Jimmy Carter!!!!....Next to Byrd, He has balls!!!+ 100% right!

"Carter, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, also blamed what he called Bush's pro-Israel policies for engendering animosity against America."

BINGO!!!!!!!

Hmmmmm........And the war hasn't even begun!!!!

[pacifictiger]

27. unfortunately

Cater was too honest and washington chewed him up while he was in charge.

[llmart]

28. Jimmy Carter....

should be John Kerry's Secretary of State.