FP: Why, after all this time, should we be taking another look at Jimmy Carter?
Hayward: Two reasons. First, Carter has somehow managed to acquire the image, even among many conservatives who ought to know better, as “America’s finest ex-president.” In fact, he should be regarded as America’s worst ex-president (though Bill Clinton has a long time yet to make his own bid for the title) for the way he has meddled ruinously in the foreign affairs of the nation, especially North Korea. Second, what might be called “Carterism”
As recently as a week ago I would have said you were full of shit but your hourly sermonettes from around the world are starting to have an effect on me. I can see what you’re saying that having a conscience can be a major liability in a president – ex or otherwise.
We need a president – ex or otherwise – who can ‘stay the course’ right or wrong and not get sidetracked by foolish self-doubts.
I’m starting to come around to the same conclusion on a personal basis after pondering all the carefully reasoned outbursts our neoconservative brethern have shared with us here over the, lo, past many months.
Fuck the fine points. Let’s just get on with the job of finishing them off before they finish us off first. We can use the lebensraum anyway.
How was he more effective out of office? You mean North Korean peace deal? Um sorry. Do you mean going and blaming the US for human rights abuses in Cuba while thousands languished in prisons? Um sorry. Or do you mean it in a relative sense that he was such a disaster as president that he could only improve as nonpresident. Sign me up there. I think the man is a perfect case of stunted psychology. He hates himself to a great extent and can only achieve temporary catharsis through adulation from the masses but it is only temporary before he insists on mortifying the flesh yet again. Wonder why he has to engage in such self-mortification and drag the country into it? Could it be that he is ashamed of his true nature and impulses and like monks of old must tame the evil spirit within? But what could that evil spirit be and what would be the greatest sin that a southern Baptist could face? Anyone with me here on this?
Ah but for better or worse Bush has brought freedom to count it down now 25 million Iraqis. Not saying the security situation is good but freedom nonetheless and 25 million Afghanis albeit not perfect either. Then, there is the volte face from Libya, the Saudis are curbing terrorist financing, Sudan was looking at ending its civil war, Yemen is cooperating, Somali is edging very closely to cooperation and we are finally getting the Pakistanis to clean up the nuclear problem and do more to get rid of al Qaeda.
Then, let’s see Carter lost Iran with 70 million, allowed AFghanistan to get swallowed by the Soviets for 25 million, lost Cambodia and Laos for 2 million dead in the killing fields and another 2 million dead and refugees in Vietnam, saw civil wars break out in Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Yemen, Lebanon really got going, Nicaragua and El Salvador while inflation ripped America a new asshole at home and suggested that we do what? Create more departments as in energy and education, two of the worst ever created to waste more taxpayer money. Then, there was the whole sense of malaise and nihilism that plagued Americans until Reagan came along. So gee, give Bush a bit more time and maybe Syria and Egypt and Iran will bring a whole new balance to his score but so far looking pretty f**ing good to me.
Also under whose tenure did those Pakistani nuclear proliferation programs begin? No not Carter? Really? Who would have thought? And who was the idiot who cancelled the nuclear breeder reactor program which could have burned up a lot of nuclear waste that needs to be stored now just because if we had them so might other countries? Look what happened? Those very countries got all this stuff anyway and we gave up on a good opportunity to burn all this nuclear waste in a safe manner. Where are the environmentalists on this huge error? What a F***wad this man is/was/will always be.
