Please Freepmail me to be added to the Ollie North ping list.
Posted on 04/17/2008 9:04:56 PM PDT by jazusamo
"Your strength can compensate for my weakness, and your wisdom can help to minimize my mistakes."
-- Jimmy Carter, inaugural address, Jan. 20, 1977
WASHINGTON -- More than 31 years after he uttered those words, America still is trying to compensate for and minimize Jimmy Carter's mistakes and weaknesses, the greatest of which appears to be hubris. This week, our much-traveled 39th president ventured as a "private citizen" to the Middle East on a self-described mission "exploring possibilities for peace." Regrettably, what citizen Carter has succeeded in doing is encouraging our nation's adversaries, lending credibility to terrorists who have killed our countrymen, and disparaging a beleaguered ally.
Carter's current sojourn in personal diplomacy is just his most recent foreign foray in post-presidential folly since being voted out of office in Ronald Reagan's 1980 landslide. During his global quest for relevance, he rarely missed an opportunity to denigrate our country's interests, helping him to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. But this week's expedition to Jerusalem, the West Bank, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia may prove to be the most damaging excursion yet.
Despite his claims, Carter is no "neutral observer." In June 1994, the former president went to Pyongyang to broker a failed nuclear disarmament deal with North Korean despot Kim Il Sung. In 2002, he deigned to dignify the brutal, bearded butcher of Havana, Fidel Castro. While in the "island paradise," he disparaged America's commitment to human rights and praised Cuba's education and health care systems. In 2006, he and his self-appointed "impartial arbiters" declared that the Palestinian elections that brought Hamas to power in Gaza were "legitimate." Later that same year, in his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," he declared, "Israel's continued control and colonization of Palestinian land have been the primary obstacles to a comprehensive peace agreement in the Holy Land."
Though Carter's present 10-day Mideast trip has been overshadowed in the U.S. media by the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, the former president's travel and talks have been widely celebrated in the Arab press, particularly on radical Islamic Web sites. All have observed that the former chief executive's decisions to lay a wreath at the tomb of Yasser Arafat and his meetings with senior Hamas officials are "unprecedented."
To note that this entire venture is an extraordinary propaganda windfall for radical Islam is an understatement. If anyone knows that, it should be the former president. His Atlanta-based Carter Center has had a full-time office in Ramallah, West Bank, since 2006 to "monitor developments in the region." Apparently, the staff has failed to apprise its founder that he is being celebrated as the man who will "bring an end to Zionist hegemony."
Hamas, it should be noted, is listed by the U.S., Israel and the European Union as an international terrorist organization. Hamas radio pledged as recently as this week to "destroy the illegal Jewish entity" and continue to "deliver Allah's fire" (meaning Iranian-built 107-mm and 122-mm rockets) on "the occupiers" (meaning any Israeli within range). During the course of the past year, Hamas terrorists have fired the high explosive missiles repeatedly into Israeli communities, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians.
Unlike his past efforts on behalf of Habitat for Humanity, it is hard to fathom what good Carter sought to achieve in this peripatetic itinerary. His trip is taking place during Passover, one of Judaism's holiest holidays. Other than a brief no-press-allowed arrival meeting with Israel's ceremonial president, Shimon Peres, he will meet with no other senior Israeli officials. That hasn't deterred his desperate bid for attention -- or his bid to grant legitimacy to Hamas.
On Tuesday, Carter met with Hamas representatives in Ramallah. He then went to Cairo, Egypt, for "a listening session" with the terror group's Gaza leaders: Mahmoud Zahar and Said Siyam. But it was the meeting he scheduled in Damascus, Syria, with Hamas kingpin Khaled Mashaal -- wanted in connection with the death of more than a half-dozen American citizens and scores of Israelis -- that defies comprehension.
In response to critics -- and the entreaties of the Bush administration not to meet with the leaders of Hamas or go to Damascus -- Carter generously said, "I'll share what I find with the Israelis and with Fatah and also, of course, with the American government officials."
That's mighty kind of the man. By the time his trip concludes, Carter will have broken bread with the sworn enemies of the United States and disparaged our only democratic ally in the region. He also has broken faith with his countrymen. He's not naive and he's not ignorant. But he is on an ego trip.
Oliver North is the founder and honorary chairman of Freedom Alliance and author of The Assassins .
Please Freepmail me to be added to the Ollie North ping list.
I am beyond pissed that this windbag is embracing the very people who want nothing more than to see you and I dead. He truly is a traitor, and should be arrested as such upon re-entry to this country. He is far and away the WORST president we ever had — which is probably why he is still searching for relevance. What an ass.
“My stupidity can’t be understood no matter how much wisdom you have”. Jimmah on leaving for the Middle East.
Ditto! Plus he’s an embarrassment to the US Presidency.
Knowing that all former presidents get copies of all the Presidential Daily Briefings, as well as other confidential information, it makes me a little nervous that this guy is consorting with our enemies.
Absolutely, especially with his senile mind. His actions of aiding our enemies are costing American lives, IMO.
That sure covers my thoughts about this POS. All those fit for public consumption anyway.
Will wonders never cease?!?
I remember in the 1990’s I told my wife at one point that WJC had elevated Jimmy Cahter in to the second worst President in U.S. history.
Jimmuh wasn’t about to let Bubba get away with it was he.
LOL! I needed that tonight but I couldn’t agree more.
It never ceases to amaze me when I consider that even on Ronald Reagan’s last day of life on this Earth, with his mind ravaged by Alzheimer’s, weakened and about to depart this mortal coil, that the Gipper had more wisdom and common sense remaining in his brain than Jimmy Carter ever had, has or could ever hope to have as long as he’s breathing oxygen.\
And that must irk Jimmy STP Carter more than anything else.
Ollie is right on the money — as usual.
I do not understand and cannot accept why the United States President allows Carter — now a private citizen — to white-ant foreign policy contrary to law. He should be arrested and tried. Or at very least his passport should be yanked.
For President Bush, that would be a sensible thing to do. He cannot lose by doing this, he can only gain. The law is on his side, and he is not up for re-election. Sure, the Left will squeal: who cares? They are squealing now already, a little more squealing won’t do any harm at all.
Every day that Carter is allowed to conduct his own brand of foreign policy is another day that the Enemy is encouraged and another day that the troops are going to have to be overseas and another day that Americans are going to die in battle, fighting the Enemy that Carter is aiding and abetting.
I do not understand why some of you Yanks can’t see that (present company excepted, naturally.)
*DieHard*
I really don’t know that Jimmah has the sense to get irked anymore, he looks like he’s living in fantasyland.
You’re right, that’s what should be done and let the libtards squeal because we’re used to it anyway.
Sadly, it won’t happen and it’s a shame. As much as I’ve backed the president on most issues there are a few where he is dead wrong and this is one of them.
I think they had Jimmuh and Bubba in mind when they made this movie. ;-)
> I am beyond pissed that this windbag is embracing the very people who want nothing more than to see you and I dead.
And *that* says quite alot, in my books. You are one person that I would not want to be “beyond pissed” with me: there would be consequences for that, which I am certain I wouldn’t like. Carter should note.
Foreigners who are watching this situation in horror (like me) just cannot understand the rationale of what Carter is doing. It’s “beyond bemused” in my case. “Irritated” isn’t the right word for it either: “Pig-biting Mad” comes close.
And why President Bush doesn’t have Carter arrested is truly odd. I’m “beyond puzzled” by that: he is operating in clear contravention of very explicit US Law that has been set down precisely so that this sort of thing cannot happen.
The President ought to see Carter arrested and put on trial for that — in case President Bush has forgotten, America is still at War, and this will simply not do.
I do not like criticizing your President (I think he has done a fine job during a difficult time) but this is a serious situation he needs to kick in the guts before it grows arms-and-legs. Right-smartly, too.
In a nutshell, Carter is aiding and abetting and giving comfort to the Enemy. By so doing he is complicit in the death of American and Allied troops and Israeli and Iraqi and Afghanistani civilians. And, I suppose if there is such a thing, innocent Palestinians. Carter’s overseas jaunt is more than just a whimsical dalliance: people will die as a direct result of his interference in foreign policy.
Is that right ? I do remember hearing something like that before. Damn scary in the case of two of our ex Presidents.
Yes, that's correct. It also means Hillary (assuming Bill shares that with her) was more informed on the Iraq situation than many of her collegues when she voted to go to war. Knowing this I have to laugh when she says she was "duped" like everyone else in Congress.
Col. North Bump for later
PING!
Politicians are members of an exclusive club, where right or wrong they all have each others backs. I am totally disgusted with the political landscape of this country. It's like everything I was raised to believe is backwards. Politicians, once elected to office should be forced to read the Constitution, then be tested on it, sign off on it and then take the oath of office.
As for Jimmy Carter, his passport should be revoked immediately, let him stay over there. He is a POS.
I thought that he was a nice guy, but a terrible president. Just not cut out for the office - there's nothing wrong with that, the mantle of POTUS is not an easy thing to assume. Unfortunate that he (and America) found it out AFTER he was elected, but so be it. He put in his four years, then got his walking papers.
Now...I've changed my mind. He's just another egomanical kook who loves to hear the sound of his own voice.
IF - he had stayed home, and raised his peanuts, and built his Habitat for Humanity houses...he might have had his historical status raised from "Utter Failure of a President" to "Statesman". But by jackassing around the world and running the current administration into the ground at every opportunity...he'll not even get that far, IMHO.
Well said and I felt basically the same about him during his term. I don’t think I agreed with anything he did but always had the thought in the back of my mind he was basically trying to do what was right.
When his globe trotting to cozy up to the worst leaders in the world started I changed my mind about him in a hurry and the older he’s gotten the more egregious his meddling has become.
I was pretty young during his administration, but I don't remember seeing the utter contempt and disdain felt for him that, for instance, the military felt (and still feels) for Clinton. Carter was also dealt a pretty tough hand to play. He didn't help himself any with his dithering and indecision.
When raving moonbats rant against the "BUSH REGIME"...I tend to tune them out. When hard, practical military men calmly detail Clinton's presidential abuses of power...I tend to listen. Not sure if that's a function of my agreeing more with them, or just that practical, intelligent people with cogent arguments need to be listened to.
With apologies to Gen. Honoré, Carter is actually stuck somewhere between Stupid and Treason.
Carter is just raising funds for the Dems.
He can launder the money through his Habitat for Humanity organization like he’s been doing for years.
You’re right, there was very little outrage expressed during Carter’s term but then times were different and people didn’t express themselves as they do now against the sitting president.
I’m pretty sure if Carter were serving today the contempt and disdain would be expressed on a daily basis.
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