Posted on 05/26/2008 9:18:47 AM PDT by mak5
Former US President Jimmy Carter urged Washington to establish friendly ties with Tehran, reiterating the need for his country to resume trade relations with Iran, which he described as a "rational" nation.
Speaking at the Hay Festival yesterday, Carter also suggested the US should provide nuclear power technology and fuel to Iran as a show of goodwill.
"What happens if, in three years' time, Iran has a nuclear weapon," Carter asked. "I'm not sure that is going to happen, but if it does, what do we do? They are rational people like all of us in this room. Do they want to commit suicide? I would guess not. So what we have to do is talk with them now and say to them we want to be their friends," the former US president said.
"The United States must let Iran know that we want to give them fuel and everything they need for a non-military nuclear program. Twenty-five years ago we cut off trading with Iran. We've got to resume trading to show Iran we are friends."
Carter also criticized President George Bush, saying it was a "serious mistake and terrible departure" from the actions of previous US presidents not to engage with countries with which they differed.
"The president of the administration in Washington is the first one to have ever done this and I think we close off ourselves from any sort of rational accommodation of the views of other parties in order to reach out on major goals," said Carter, in a further interview with Sky Arts, to be broadcast today.
jimmuh needs to go pound some nails he was good at that
The idiot will not shut up.
The man simply does not know when to just shut up.
Hmmmm maybe MORON is the wrong term... Imbecile?.... no MORON is better.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Is this real??? I honestly thought it was Scrappleface. I didn’t think even Carter was THAT stupid.
“They are rational people like all of us in this room.” ..................... Did Jimmah include himself in that remark? sarc/
Oh Really? 
That is your problem Jimmy. You didn't know the meaning of rational in 1979 and you still don't know the meaning of rational.
Just wow. The idiocy of that man knows no bounds. They are not a whit different from the Iran that caused him to sit in the Oval Office wringing his hands because it made him and everyone else see just how impotent and incompetent he was as a leader.
Then he sent good men to their deaths in a risky mission that we should have never had to try to begin with.
He was responsible in large part for the fall of the Shah.
Sometimes the peanut farmer gets it right! Anybody who didn't get up and walk out after these comments probably is about as rational as the leadership of Iran. We know Carter fits the bill.
Jimmy, how many Democrat Presidents met with Fidel Castro?
“Former US President Jimmy Carter urged Washington to establish friendly ties with Tehran”
Good idea! The U.S. State Department has a job for him. Running the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
We had very fine relations with Iran, before Jimmah destroyed them by causing the ouster of our friend the Shah. He certainly was not willing to talk to him.
Not he wants to talk with the current leader. Some people just don't know how to behave.
Coupled with other bizarre behavior on his part I believe, for the memory of his own dignity and the dignity of his former office as President of the United States, that Mr. Carter's public comments should now be studiously ignored by the press.
Not = Now
Words escape me. I am at a loss to describe the absolute stupidity of Carter’s comment.
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