Carter on George W. Bush

[GeraldFord]

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/former-president-carter-blasts-bush/20070519164509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

[Axlfreek]

wow he has the same opinion that a majority of america has on G.W. 

[tim_m]

wow he has the same opinion that a majority of america has on G.W. 

shocking isn't it 

[Surfrider]

Bush is terrible - don't get me wrong - but Carter lives in a fantasy land.  His international policy was terrible as well.  I saw him come speak at my university when I was still in college.  Either he knowingly rewrites the history of his own presidency, or he is actually loony.

[freedom78]

Bush is terrible - don't get me wrong - but Carter lives in a fantasy land.  His international policy was terrible as well.  I saw him come speak at my university when I was still in college.  Either he knowingly rewrites the history of his own presidency, or he is actually loony.

I agree...one of the worst post WWII Presidents criticizing another. 

Carter = a do nothing failure
Bush = a do everything wrong failure

This makes me wish we could do something with ex-Presidents like that celebrity boxing that was on TV. 

[Booker Floyd]

Carter = a do nothing failure

Can you elaborate?

[SLCPUNK]

Bush is terrible - don't get me wrong - but Carter lives in a fantasy land. 

He's right about Bush, and that's enough now isn't it?

[freedom78]

Carter = a do nothing failure

Can you elaborate?

Eh, it was a bad way to summarize that a lot of bad things happened on his watch (Massive inflation, the Energy Crisis, Iranian Hostage Crisis) and he didn't accomplish much, by the way of resolving these issues.  He did take one very decisive action, in combating the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, by arming Islamic fundamentalists to fight the Soviets...thus helping to create Al-Qaeda.  Whoops!  I just find it amusing that he criticizes Bush's Middle East policies when he was critical in creating one of the key catalysts for that policy.  After all, we certainly wouldn't be in Afghanistan, right now, without Al-Qaeda, and since many Americans believed there was a link between Al-Queda and Iraq, there's a chance we might not be in Iraq. 

I'm NOT saying that Bush's policy failures are the fault of Carter.  But when the pot says "Kettle, you're black!" it's only fair to point out the hypocrisy.

[Bodhi]

Carter = a do nothing failure

Can you elaborate?

i can elaborate......1976-1980....seriously though..Jimmy Carter is the LAST person that should talk about anybody being a terrible president....I agree that Bush has been doing a terrible job especially in the last 2-3 years...but Carter has no business saying anything....he was one of the biggest embarrassments in the history of our country....

[GeraldFord]

Eh, it was a bad way to summarize that a lot of bad things happened on his watch (Massive inflation, the Energy Crisis, Iranian Hostage Crisis.

Carter didn't cause any of those. Carter was no more responsible for inflation in the 70s than Bush was responsible for the recession that cost him the election in the early 90s. Who knows how Reagan would have handled the hostage crisis as they were all released the day he took office.

[The Dog]

Carter = a do nothing failure

Can you elaborate?

I'm NOT saying that Bush's policy failures are the fault of Carter.  But when the pot says "Kettle, you're black!" it's only fair to point out the hypocrisy.

I think that just makes it even worse for Bush....  when you (bush) make ax ex-president who is largely considered a failure, look GOOD when compared to you, you know you're doing a REALLY shitty job.....

[GeraldFord]

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2020522120070520?feedType=RSS&rpc=22&pageNumber=1

Bush White House fires back at Jimmy Carter

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - The White House on Sunday fired back at former President Jimmy Carter, calling him "increasingly irrelevant" a day after Carter described George W. Bush's presidency as the worst in history in international relations.

Carter, a Democrat, said on Saturday in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that "as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto had declined to react on Saturday but on Sunday fired back.

"I think it's sad that President Carter's reckless personal criticism is out there," Fratto told reporters. "I think it's unfortunate. And I think he is proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments."

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Carter has been an outspoken critic of Bush, but the White House has largely refrained from attacking him in return. Sunday's sharp response marks a departure from the deference that sitting presidents traditionally have shown their predecessors.

In the newspaper interview, Carter said Bush had taken a "radical departure from all previous administration policies" with the Iraq war.

"We now have endorsed the concept of pre-emptive war where we go to war with another nation militarily, even though our own security is not directly threatened, if we want to change the regime there or if we fear that some time in the future our security might be endangered," Carter said.

In a separate BBC interview, Carter also denounced the close relationship between Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"Abominable. Loyal, blind, apparently subservient," Carter said when asked how he would characterize Blair's relationship with Bush. 

"I think that the almost undeviating support by Great Britain for the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world," Carter said.

Carter, who was president from 1977-1981 and won the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his charitable work, was an outspoken opponent of the invasion of Iraq before it was launched in 2003.

[SLCPUNK]

Carter = a do nothing failure

Can you elaborate?

i can elaborate......1976-1980....seriously though..Jimmy Carter is the LAST person that should talk about anybody being a terrible president....I agree that Bush has been doing a terrible job especially in the last 2-3 years...but Carter has no business saying anything....he was one of the biggest embarrassments in the history of our country....

Carter can say whatever he wants, this is America after all.

Nothing Carter ever did sent us into a trillion dollar deficit, killed over half a million Iraqis, injured 10,000 of our troops, killed 3500 of our troops, and made us less safe.

[freedom78]

Eh, it was a bad way to summarize that a lot of bad things happened on his watch (Massive inflation, the Energy Crisis, Iranian Hostage Crisis.

Carter didn't cause any of those. Carter was no more responsible for inflation in the 70s than Bush was responsible for the recession that cost him the election in the early 90s. Who knows how Reagan would have handled the hostage crisis as they were all released the day he took office.

No, he didn't cause them, thus the rest of my sentence, which you failed to quote: "...and he didn't accomplish much, by the way of resolving these issues."  I never said they were his fault, though a bad economy, in this country, is usually perceived as the fault of a President and they are often punished, accordingly.   

I think that just makes it even worse for Bush....  when you (Bush) make ax ex-president who is largely considered a failure, look GOOD when compared to you, you know you're doing a REALLY shitty job.....

I don't know that Bush makes Carter's Presidency look good...it makes it look "not the worst." 

[The Dog]

Eh, it was a bad way to summarize that a lot of bad things happened on his watch (Massive inflation, the Energy Crisis, Iranian Hostage Crisis.

Carter didn't cause any of those. Carter was no more responsible for inflation in the 70s than Bush was responsible for the recession that cost him the election in the early 90s. Who knows how Reagan would have handled the hostage crisis as they were all released the day he took office.

No, he didn't cause them, thus the rest of my sentence, which you failed to quote: "...and he didn't accomplish much, by the way of resolving these issues."  I never said they were his fault, though a bad economy, in this country, is usually perceived as the fault of a President and they are often punished, accordingly.   

I think that just makes it even worse for Bush....  when you (Bush) make ax ex-president who is largely considered a failure, look GOOD when compared to you, you know you're doing a REALLY shitty job.....

I don't know that Bush makes Carter's Presidency look good...it makes it look "not the worst." 

i hear you, but I think if Carter were to run against Bush right now, Carter would win in a land slide.....

[freedom78]

Eh, it was a bad way to summarize that a lot of bad things happened on his watch (Massive inflation, the Energy Crisis, Iranian Hostage Crisis.

Carter didn't cause any of those. Carter was no more responsible for inflation in the 70s than Bush was responsible for the recession that cost him the election in the early 90s. Who knows how Reagan would have handled the hostage crisis as they were all released the day he took office.

No, he didn't cause them, thus the rest of my sentence, which you failed to quote: "...and he didn't accomplish much, by the way of resolving these issues."  I never said they were his fault, though a bad economy, in this country, is usually perceived as the fault of a President and they are often punished, accordingly.   

I think that just makes it even worse for Bush....  when you (Bush) make ax ex-president who is largely considered a failure, look GOOD when compared to you, you know you're doing a REALLY shitty job.....

I don't know that Bush makes Carter's Presidency look good...it makes it look "not the worst." 

i hear you, but I think if Carter were to run against Bush right now, Carter would win in a land slide.....

Can you imagine if, as a one term President, Carter had run in 2004?  What a clusterfuck of mediocrity that would have been. 

[The Dog]

Eh, it was a bad way to summarize that a lot of bad things happened on his watch (Massive inflation, the Energy Crisis, Iranian Hostage Crisis.

Carter didn't cause any of those. Carter was no more responsible for inflation in the 70s than Bush was responsible for the recession that cost him the election in the early 90s. Who knows how Reagan would have handled the hostage crisis as they were all released the day he took office.

No, he didn't cause them, thus the rest of my sentence, which you failed to quote: "...and he didn't accomplish much, by the way of resolving these issues."  I never said they were his fault, though a bad economy, in this country, is usually perceived as the fault of a President and they are often punished, accordingly.   

I think that just makes it even worse for Bush....  when you (Bush) make ax ex-president who is largely considered a failure, look GOOD when compared to you, you know you're doing a REALLY shitty job.....

I don't know that Bush makes Carter's Presidency look good...it makes it look "not the worst." 

i hear you, but I think if Carter were to run against Bush right now, Carter would win in a land slide.....

Can you imagine if, as a one term President, Carter had run in 2004?  What a clusterfuck of mediocrity that would have been. 

are you trying to give me nightmares?

[GeraldFord]

No, he didn't cause them, thus the rest of my sentence, which you failed to quote: "...and he didn't accomplish much, by the way of resolving these issues."? I never said they were his fault, though a bad economy, in this country, is usually perceived as the fault of a President and they are often punished, accordingly.? ?

If he had had a second term, and had a better team....Two terms of Carter wouldn't have been worse than two tems of Bush II or Reagan.

Can you imagine if, as a one term President, Carter had run in 2004?? What a clusterfuck of mediocrity that would have been.?

I'd rather have Carter as President now than Bush.

[Dr. Blutarsky]

 Bush has fucked up, I'm not saying otherwise. Carter has every right to voice his opinion. But for those who say Carter was such a good president, obviously you were not alive during his administration.

Carter is the worst president of the last 50 years.  Totally ineffective in office. Reagan pulled us out of the ditch Carter put us in.

[GeraldFord]

I like Reagan a lot as a human being. What you see is what you got, totally genuine. But I will never understand why people rate him so highly as a president. What about the dismantling of the welfare system, not doing anything about the AIDS crisis when it was known to be an epidemic as far back as the early 80s, the absurd "war on drugs," the Star Wars bullshit. And don't tell me that he ended the Cold War, that just isn't so. The USSR would have collapsed anyway.