in response to ex-President Carter's criticism of the Bush administration (war, economy, environment, faith based initiatives), Bush's spokesman called ex-President Carter "increasingly irrelevant"

GWB can only hope to be so "irrelevant" in his own post-presidency years. On one hand, we have a stateman, international advocate, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize -- while on the other hand, we have... well, what do we have? a truly irrelevant, lame duck sitting president who managed to lose both houses of congress and whose cabnit members are dropping like flies...

yeah, its gonna take more than clearing brush in his off time to ever be as "irrelevant" to world politics as Carter.

Quote :

" CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- The nasty words between President Bush and former President Jimmy Carter continued Sunday. In a biting rebuke to Carter calling the Bush administration the "worst in history," the White House on Sunday dismissed Carter as "increasingly irrelevant." Carter was quoted Saturday in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette as saying "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this [Bush] administration has been the worst in history." The Georgia Democrat said Bush had overseen an "overt reversal of America's basic values" as expressed by previous administrations, including that of his own father, former President George H.W. Bush. White House spokesman Tony Fratto shot back Sunday from Crawford, Texas, where Bush spent the weekend. "I think it's sad that President Carter's reckless personal criticism is out there," said Fratto. "I think it's unfortunate. And I think he is proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments." Carter was in Arkansas promoting "Sunday Mornings in Plains," a collection of weekly Bible lessons from his hometown of Plains, Georgia. "Apparently, Sunday mornings in Plains for former President Carter includes hurling reckless accusations at your fellow man," said Amber Wilkerson, Republican National Committee spokeswoman. She said it was hard to take Carter seriously because he also "challenged Ronald Reagan's strategy for the Cold War." Carter's comments, which were published Saturday, were confirmed by his spokeswoman Deanna Congileo to The Associated Press on Saturday. She declined to elaborate. Carter also said Saturday that Britain's support for the war in Iraq was a "major tragedy" for the world, as he criticized Tony Blair's unwavering support for President Bush. Asked how he would judge Blair's support of Bush, Carter said: "Abominable. Loyal. Blind. Apparently subservient." "And I think 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 told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. Blair was in Baghdad Saturday morning for what will be his last trip to Iraq as British prime minister. Last week, Blair announced that he would step down June 27, making way for treasury chief Gordon Brown. The war in Iraq has been the defining foreign policy issue of Blair's premiership, and the decision to join the U.S.-led invasion was an unpopular one at home. So far, nearly 150 British service personnel have died in Iraq. Carter told the BBC that Britain's support made it more difficult for critics of the war, and that things could have been different if Britain spoke out against the 2003 invasion. "I can't say it would have made a definitive difference, but it would certainly have assuaged the problems that arose lately," said Carter, who was U.S. president from 1977 to 1981 and has been a critic of the war. "One of the defenses of the Bush administration, in the American public and on a worldwide basis -- and it's not been successful in my opinion -- has been that, OK, we must be more correct in our actions than the world thinks because Great Britain is backing us. "And so I think the combination of Bush and Blair giving their support to this tragedy in Iraq has strengthened the effort, and has made opposition less effective and has prolonged the war and increased the tragedy that has resulted. It's not the first time Carter has criticized Britain. Last year, he said he was disappointed with "the apparent subservience" of the British government to Washington on issues such as Iraq and last summer's Israel-Hezbollah conflict. The criticism of Bush from Carter, which a biographer says is unprecedented for the 39th president, also took aim at Bush's environmental policies and the administration's "quite disturbing" faith-based initiative funding. Carter came down hard on 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," he said. "But that's been a radical departure from all previous administration policies." Carter, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, criticized Bush for having "zero peace talks" in Israel. Carter also said the administration "abandoned or directly refuted" every negotiated nuclear arms agreement, as well as environmental efforts by other presidents. Carter also offered a harsh assessment for the White House's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which helped religious charities receive $2.15 billion in federal grants in fiscal year 2005 alone. "The policy from the White House has been to allocate funds to religious institutions, even those that channel those funds exclusively to their own particular group of believers in a particular religion," Carter said. "As a traditional Baptist, I've always believed in separation of church and state and honored that premise when I was president, and so have all other presidents, I might say, except this one." Douglas Brinkley, a Tulane University presidential historian and Carter biographer, described Carter's comments as unprecedented. "This is the most forceful denunciation President Carter has ever made about an American president," Brinkley said. "When you call somebody the worst president, that's volatile. Those are fighting words." Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. "

5/21/2007 12:14:49 AM

So you just called the current President "truly irrelevant".

That's even dumber than the administration's response to Carter.

Wow, nice work.

5/21/2007 12:19:53 AM

One day I hope to be so irrelevant that a spokesman for the White House feels the need to say it aloud...and, in so doing, proves him/herself to be a liar.

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 1:24 AM. Reason : correction]

5/21/2007 1:24:23 AM

^^ okay, so "truly irrelevant" is hyperbole. sorry, you got me.

it would be more accurate to call the current President "truly incompetent and completely lacking any credibility."

how's that?

5/21/2007 1:38:33 AM

Yeah, Carter was such a great president that American voters decided not to re-elect him. Stagflation; the misery index (origin: 1975-1980); and one of the weakest defense postures in our nation's history. GG!

Look, once they leave office, ex-presidents go into legacy-building mode full-time--and Carter has largely rehabilitated himself. But Carter has been a better elder statesman and philanthropist than a president.

PS: That initial post is some salisburyboy-length shit.

5/21/2007 1:52:42 AM

yeah, the article used a judicious amount of whitespace. not that salisbot ever reads or posts anything from the AP.

i agree JEC didnt have a spectacular presidency, but to blame the recession on Carter is like blaming the Great Depression on Hoover.

while Carter's presidency is fairly mediocre by historical standards, at least it isn't "Worst Ever". and Bush can only hope to have such an "irrelevant" post presidency. Carter's record of achievements since leaving office has been stellar.

5/21/2007 2:10:39 AM

^ Presidents get the credit and the blame--whether they deserve it or not. Unfortunately, that's just the way the game's played.

Quote :

"misery index: noun 'an unofficial indication of a nation's economic health, derived by adding the percentage rate of inflation to the percentage of unemployed workers: With inflation running at 15 percent and unemployment at 8 percent, the misery index is 23 percent.' [Origin: 1975–80]"

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/misery%20index

^ Note the years in bold--I can't fake that and you can't simply dismiss it as my opinion. Like I said. . . .






[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 2:31 AM. Reason : .]

5/21/2007 2:24:27 AM

Wait, what? What has Carter achieved? He won the Nobel peace price? Oh yeah, because his efforts have worked so well! That prize is a joke beyond belief. He hasn't done shit except try to make a name for himself. When Carter speaks, no one gives a shit. That is called being irrelevant.

5/21/2007 8:01:03 AM

carter is an idiot....

and as evidence of his extreme usefulness and non-irrelevancy...you point to the fact that he called GWB the worst ever....great...thats great

5/21/2007 8:13:19 AM

^^Whoa there, buddy.

Carter is not trying to make a name for himself. He was a largely ineffective president, but he is also one of the finest men around. One thing that made him such a bad president is that he cared too much--he fretted about the real human impact of his decisions to the point where he couldn't make them, and that is just no good for a president.

Quick list of some of the awards he's been honored with:

Quote :

"President Carter has received many honors throughout his life. Among the most significant honors were the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Others include: LL.D. (honoris causa) Morehouse College, 1972; Morris Brown College, 1972; University of Notre Dame, 1977; Emory University, 1979; Kwansei Gakuin University, 1981; Georgia Southwestern College, 1981; New York Law School, 1985; Bates College, 1985; Centre College, 1987; Creighton University, 1987; University of Pennsylvania, 1998 D.E. (honoris causa) Georgia Institute of Technology, 1979 Ph.D (honoris causa) Weizmann Institute of Science, 1980; Tel Aviv University, 1983; Haifa University, 1987 D.H.L. (honoris causa) Central Connecticut State University, 1985; Trinity College, 1998 Doctor (honoris causa) G.O.C. University, 1995 Silver Buffalo Award, Boy Scouts of America, 1978 Gold medal, International Institute for Human Rights, 1979 International Mediation medal, American Arbitration Association, 1979 Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize, 1979 International Human Rights Award, Synagogue Council of America, 1979 Conservationist of the Year Award, 1979 Harry S. Truman Public Service Award, 1981 Ansel Adams Conservation Award, Wilderness Society, 1982 Human Rights Award, International League for Human Rights, 1983 World Methodist Peace Award, 1985 Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, 1987 Edwin C. Whitehead Award, National Center for Health Education, 1989 Jefferson Award, American Institute of Public Service, 1990 Philadelphia Liberty Medal, National Constitution Center, 1990 Spirit of America Award, National Council for the Social Studies, 1990 Physicians for Social Responsibility Award, 1991 Aristotle Prize, Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, 1991 W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, 1992 Spark M. Matsunaga Medal of Peace, US Institute of Peace, 1993 Humanitarian Award, CARE International, 1993 Conservationist of the Year Medal, National Wildlife Federation, 1993 Rotary Award for World Understanding, 1994 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding, 1994 National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award, 1994 UNESCO Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize, 1994 Great Cross of the Order of Vasco Nunéz de Balboa, Panama, 1995 Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Award, Africare, 1996 Humanitarian of the Year, GQ Awards, 1996 Kiwanis International Humanitarian Award, 1996 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, 1997 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Awards for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, 1997 United Nations Human Rights Award, 1998 The Hoover Medal, 1998 International Child Survival Award, UNICEF Atlanta, 1999 William Penn Mott, Jr., Park Leadership Award, National Parks Conservation Association, 2000 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 2007 Berkeley Medal, University of California campus, May 2, 2007"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter

I believe that most folks (of all political leanings) agree that the man is truly a selfless individual, and he didn't give so much of himself for the awards or for some sort of "name for himself." Some might even suggest he has a pathological desire to contribute to society and succeed--probably picked it up from his mother, "Miss Lillian." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Gordy_Carter

Don't talk shit when you have no idea what you're talking about, Ytsejam.

^Fuck you.

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 8:37 AM. Reason : sss]

5/21/2007 8:35:33 AM

A truly selfless man wouldn't be so interested in defending his representation.

5/21/2007 9:00:15 AM

Jimmy Carter was a classic example of a liberal president. A lot of talk and good intentions, with nothing to show for it.

5/21/2007 9:56:44 AM

^^I didn't realize that Jimmy Carter was in this thread defending his reputation.

5/21/2007 10:06:51 AM

Jimmy Carter has spent the last several years thinking to himself "YES! Finally, a president who has done a shittier job than me!"... just kidding.

But in all due respect to Carter, he is a good man and a person who has dedicated his life to several causes. He may have been a shitty president, but the current president is pretty damn shitty- but to the other extreme. Attacking Carter does not invalidate his claim that the Bush admin is the worst ever.

At least Jimmy Carter is an honest man.

5/21/2007 10:18:14 AM

I think it's nice to see a former president who is totally fed-up with what's going on and is being completely honest, instead of the usual suckup-fest that Presidents usually give each other. I mean, everybody knows that Bill Clinton probably hates Bush, but he can't come out and say it for a lot of reasons (he appears to be good friends with 41, hillary running, etc). I, for one, would love to hear Clinton come out and say "this guy is a total fucking douche bag. WTF is wrong with you people - why did you elect him? Can't you see he's retarded?"

5/21/2007 10:28:49 AM

Gerald Ford was pretty harsh in his memoirs.

Clinton has probably been ordered by his boss Hillary to keep a lid on things because of the potential backlash against Hillary's campaign.

5/21/2007 10:32:57 AM

Quote :

"mathman: A truly selfless man wouldn't be so interested in defending his representation."

Could you elaborate on this? Cause I have no idea what you're talking about.

5/21/2007 10:39:58 AM

There's been a long standard of attitude that has existed among this group of elite men. They do not publicly lambaste each other, and nor should they.


Ike could've come out and derided Carter on gas lines and the Iran Hostage crisis, the work of a truly incompetent administration, but he didn't and nor should he have.

If Carter has advice, he can make an appointment to discuss that. Talking like this through the media marginalizes Carter and really proves his irrelevancy.

5/21/2007 10:56:24 AM

let's talk some more shit about the diplomat/habitat for humanity guy!

5/21/2007 10:57:31 AM

Yea, nothing proves someone to be irrelevant like issuing a statement in response to their comments.

5/21/2007 11:10:38 AM

Nothing proves that you were wrong like saying you were wrong.

Quote :

"Former President Jimmy Carter on Monday said his comments over the weekend about the Bush administration were “careless.”"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18759682/

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 11:22 AM. Reason : .]

5/21/2007 11:22:21 AM

carter was one of our most honest presidents.

5/21/2007 11:28:37 AM

come on guys lets not be mean to our president it could be worse. you remember in the 90's president Clinton lied about getting a blow job omg our leader having extra-marital affairs ruining the moral thread of our country.

5/21/2007 11:31:01 AM

In terms of effectiveness, I would rank Bush and Carter about even.

I would place them just behind Nixon if I were ranking the worst Presidents in the last 50 years.

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 11:31 AM. Reason : 2]

5/21/2007 11:31:26 AM

Quote :

"come on guys lets not be mean to our president it could be worse. you remember in the 90's president Clinton lied about getting a blow job omg our leader having extra-marital affairs ruining the moral thread of our country."

yeah, bush needs to realize he is the political leader of the country, not the moral one.

5/21/2007 11:37:01 AM

^^ Yeah, but Carter was not tested like Bush has been--I think only a handful of other US presidents have been tested in similar trials by fire. I have many, many problems with Bush, but the presidential hand Carter was dealt was most certainly better.

And the posts by Oeuvre were dead-on: (1) It's simply bad form for ex-presidents to be overly critical of the sitting president--and the exes know that there's a lot of shit they could have done better, too. And (2) Carter admitted that his remarks concerning Bush were "careless."

/thread

5/21/2007 1:03:16 PM

I disagree. Carter was dealt an economy that was heading for a recession. Granted, he made it worse, but you can't deny that he was put in a much worse position than Bush with respect to the economy.

5/21/2007 1:08:08 PM

^ The economy is just one part of being president, man. I meant the whole enchilada. Did you forget 9-11? Hurricane Katrina? Anthrax? And so on. I mean, don't even try it.

5/21/2007 1:14:54 PM

9-11 was a blessing for him. He had unprecedented approval ratings and power in the wake of 9-11, and he used that power to create a gigantic mess.

He could have come away from Katrina looking much better as well if he hadn't bungled the response as badly as he did.

Anthrax? That was a challenge?

PS Carter had to deal with an oil crisis, the Iranian hostage situation, etc. Every President deals with crises. Not every President screws up as spectacularly as Bush has on numerous occasions.

5/21/2007 2:09:22 PM

The economy Bush inherited wasn't much better. It was in the wake of the tech sector burst and 9/11. I mean, you can't say that Bush had it much better than Carter.

5/21/2007 2:23:17 PM

joe, at least carter was on your side through the weekend....fucking flip flopper

5/21/2007 3:03:21 PM

^^^ Un-fucking-believable! You really should be ashamed of yourself.

1. 9-11: ~3000 people, Americans and others, attacked and killed on American soil, the World Trade Center destroyed. Do you think any president would want that to happen? Did you see the look on his face when they told him--he didn't want that situation at all.

2. Katrina: A disaster all the way around. The fact that such a disaster wasn't handled better is precisely the point--Bush was tested. And either you define the moment or the moment defines you.

3. Anthrax: Biological attacks against the major TV media, a branch of the federal government, and federal government agencies that are still unsolved? "That was a challenge?" What?! Durrr--yes, and it still is!

Do you even bother to think before you post? Carter's troubles weren't even close--the Iran hostage crisis notwithstanding. Please donate your computer to charity.

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 6:19 PM. Reason : .]

5/21/2007 6:18:33 PM

to those of you who had no idea what I was talking about,

Quote :

""I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this [Bush] administration has been the worst in history.""

I would think at a minimum he is saying I was better than Bush. I pretty much share hooksaw and Oeuvre sentiments about ex-presidents needing
to have a little more class about monday-morning quarterbacking current president's actions.

I find it humorous that you guys think that Clinton has not engaged in similar commentary against the
Bush administration. Maybe not lately, but I recall him saying anti-US things in some overseas setting within the last year or two. Maybe someone who cares or is a better googler can find these comments.

5/21/2007 6:24:15 PM

Quote :

"but I recall him saying anti-US things "

i find that hard to believe

5/21/2007 6:26:29 PM

to be more precise, anti-Bush things. Sorry, I should clarify.

5/21/2007 6:27:53 PM

we get it joe, you're a democrat............shut up

ya'll are the biggest bunch of complainers

5/21/2007 7:00:54 PM

Quote :

"jccraft1: joe, at least carter was on your side through the weekend....fucking flip flopper"

Well, his remarks were kinda careless. I thought they were the natural conclusion to what he has been saying all along--you know, he kinda built up to it. I thought it was funny that the White House said he was "increasingly irrelevant" because he's been increasingly critical of this administration. Coincidence?

Quote :

"mathman: to be more precise, anti-Bush things. Sorry, I should clarify."

Holy shit, you are the most pathetic loser in the Soap Box. You mixed up "anti-US" with "anti-Bush?" I prefer salisburyboy to your lame ass. PATHETIC.

Quote :

"mathman: I would think at a minimum he is saying I was better than Bush. I pretty much share hooksaw and Oeuvre sentiments about ex-presidents needing to have a little more class about monday-morning quarterbacking current president's actions."

Actually, at a minimum he was saying Nixon was better than Bush. He just got a little carried away there. And obviously he agrees with you that he made a mistake by saying what he said.



But I don't think it was a mistake. I don't think some of you fuckers realize just how fucked-up Bush/Co. has been. The bullshit is unprecedent. It's just mistake after mistake...and I get more disgusted each time I open the paper. And this isn't about left and right...many of his fuck-ups are universally offensive.

Anybody who supports or defends this president is a FOOL. I'll make an exception for certain Republicans in or running for office--they gotta do the party thang. But none of you should believe they actually support this mother fucker.

In light of this new level of previously unseen shittiness, I don't see how Carter can be expected to follow some old school rule. This is a whole new situation he's dealing with, and Carter the Irrelevant just set the precedent.

Quote :

"mathman: I find it humorous that you guys think that Clinton has not engaged in similar commentary against the Bush administration. Maybe not lately, but I recall him saying anti-US things in some overseas setting within the last year or two. Maybe someone who cares or is a better googler can find these comments."

Clinton doesn't give a shit about what people expect of him--don't you remember how he left office? As it is, he just barely behaves for his wife's sake.

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 8:49 PM. Reason : sss]

5/21/2007 8:48:08 PM

And another thing...

Quote :

"Oeuvre: If Carter has advice, he can make an appointment to discuss that."

I don't know if you've noticed, but Bush doesn't take advice.

I remember when I was a senior in high school, my idiot teacher was like, "Love him or hate him...Bush is a very smart man for surrounding himself with very smart people." Ummm, it doesn't help much if he doesn't listen to them. It also doesn't help if those people either quit or turn into YES men.

5/21/2007 9:44:29 PM

^ well, that might be true, if it wasn't for the fact that the people he surrounds himself with actually *aren't* the smartest or the best. they are, by and large, mediocre sycophants -- but we know now how much Bush values loyalty over competence.

Pathologically loyal, in many cases (re: Bush - Gonzalez)

(although in your teacher's defense, 5-6 years ago it did seem like they were competent, at least superficially)

Bush is clever, and he is shrewd. The more I think about it, the more I'm becoming convinced that he's like some sort of Machiavellian genius. Either that, or his handlers are. (ie Cheney, and his war profiteer/energy baron buddies).

But the tapestry seems to be unravelling before our eyes. can it hold together another 2 years?

5/22/2007 12:41:03 AM

^Absolutely. Especially in recent years.

But, in the beginning, I might argue that he was involved with some smart folks.

I suggest this only because it seems every step of the way, most every time he's fucked up, there've been people leaving his administration and coming out and saying, "I advised against this. They wouldn't listen to me."

The greatest example of his childish inability to take advice was the "mission accomplished" incident. That's not even a real fuck-up, but still... I've read accounts where he was begged not to dress up in a flight suit and strut around aboard that ship. But he just had to play dress-up. And it was that image that turned my grandparents, two staunch conservatives, against him cause they were so deeply offended by it.

And, unless he or his handlers planned 9/11, there's no real genius involved here. He had an opportunity to bring this country together, but instead he used it to take advantage of the American public and do whatever the fuck he wanted to. Rove/Cheney have been described as "evil geniuses," and they may be, but in the past eight years, they've mostly just been evil--9/11 set everything up for them, no planning necessary.

5/22/2007 1:28:06 AM

^evil is a pretty strong word...

OK, I guess that Cheney and Rove fit the bill. Although there are neocons within the administration who honestly believe that what they are doing is good for the country. They fall under the category of "misguided and delusional".

Quote :

"the people he surrounds himself with actually *aren't* the smartest or the best. they are, by and large, mediocre sycophants -- but we know now how much Bush values loyalty over competence. "

very true. The partisanship shown by this administration and it's appointees is unparalleled in US history, and it's all due to Bush's requirement of unyielding loyalty from his supporting cast.

5/22/2007 2:26:04 AM

Jimmy Carter's encounter with a Swamp Rabbit

5/22/2007 8:37:45 AM

Quote :

"Don't talk shit when you have no idea what you're talking about, Ytsejam."

Hah, all those awards you mentioned don't mean shit. Honestly, look at them. 99.9% of them are for "peace" or "international understanding." Again, what has Carter DONE. Where has he actually stopped violence? Is Africa a better place? Is the Middle East safer? Has poverty been even decreased in the Third World because of him? Is health care better for the poor (even in America, I mean that is one of the rallying cries of the Democrats right)?

And I hate to burst your bubble, but there are plenty of people who think Carter is a joke. He hasn't improved shit, HH is a joke.. it makes people FEEL better about doing something but in doesn't accomplish anything longterm.

5/22/2007 10:07:03 AM

yeah and Bush has been the hero to help decrease violence and bring stability in the middle east

5/22/2007 10:56:13 AM

the thread title contains Jimmy Carter's name, not Bush's.

5/22/2007 11:12:54 AM

two comments:

1) jimmy carter was very critical of clinton in 2001
2) he helped wager a treaty with n. korea in 1994 that kept their nuclear ambitions at bay, at least for a while.

5/22/2007 11:14:18 AM

^ AAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH


He wagered a treaty that gave the N. Koreans resources while they still built their nuclear arsenal. That was the biggest heist in history... And we should've known that would've happened with Jimmy Carter at the helm.

[Edited on May 22, 2007 at 11:21 AM. Reason : .]

5/22/2007 11:20:49 AM

Oh yeah, and this right here solidifies the fact that Jimmy Carter was much worse than George W. Bush.


























stagflation


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagflation

5/22/2007 11:22:52 AM

Yeah, I wouldn't exactly call the Agreed Framework a glowing success considering that NK was operating a clandestine nuclear program for most of the '90's.

5/22/2007 11:24:03 AM

Quote :

"Ytsejam: Hah, all those awards you mentioned don't mean shit. Honestly, look at them. 99.9% of them are for "peace" or "international understanding.""

Five of them involve "peace" and two of them involve "international/world understanding."

99.9%, huh?

And those awards do mean shit. You don't get that many awards for nothing.

Quote :

"Ytsejam: Again, what has Carter DONE. Where has he actually stopped violence? Is Africa a better place? Is the Middle East safer? Has poverty been even decreased in the Third World because of him? Is health care better for the poor (even in America, I mean that is one of the rallying cries of the Democrats right)?"

Here's something he's done:

Quote :

"A major accomplishment of the Carter Center has been the elimination of 99.5% of cases of Guinea worm disease, a debilitating parasite that has existed since ancient times, from more than 3.5 million cases in 1986 to fewer than 11,000 cases in 2005."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter

That is huge.

As far as what he's done for the causes he believes in...he's given his life to them. You literally cannot ask for anything more of him.

Quote :

"Ytsejam: And I hate to burst your bubble, but there are plenty of people who think Carter is a joke."

You're not bursting my bubble. There will always be people who put down the hard work and efforts of others for one pathetic reason or another.

Quote :

"Ytsejam: He hasn't improved shit, HH is a joke.. it makes people FEEL better about doing something but in doesn't accomplish anything longterm."

He does not have the power to make policy--what do you expect?



I believe you're being critical of Carter because you resent the attention he's gotten. You should know that nobody's building him up to be a God who has changed the world in some irrevocable and massive way. It's his efforts that are being applauded because his efforts, even the crippled ones, inspire...

5/22/2007 12:01:54 PM