[Will88]

they conflate Christ and Christianity with Mohammed and Islam are blinded to the danger posed by the latter.

And then there is probably the biggest mistake of that sort ever made, at least in modern times.

Jimmy Carter considered Khomeini a 'holy man' and believed every crisis could be resolved with diplomacy.

FATHER OF THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION

Carter's ambassador to the UN, Andrew Young, said "Khomeini will eventually be hailed as a saint." Carter's Iranian ambassador, William Sullivan, said, "Khomeini is a Gandhi-like figure." Carter adviser James Bill proclaimed in a Newsweek interview on February 12, 1979 that Khomeini was not a mad mujahid, but a man of "impeccable integrity and honesty." The shah was terrified of Carter. He told his personal confidant, "Who knows what sort of calamity he [Carter] may unleash on the world?"

[Oratam]

I often think Carter was hapless, bumbling, naive, overly trusting, etc. but then I recall this quote:

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity, but don't rule out malice."