Carter: Bush’s foreign policy is ‘worst in history’

**NordicNacho** · 05-20-2007, 12:37 PM

Carter: Bush’s foreign policy is ‘worst in history’
39th president says 43rd has done severe damage to U.S. reputation abroad
MSNBC political calendar

Updated: 4:28 p.m. PT May 19, 2007
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Former President Carter says President Bush’s administration is “the worst in history” in international relations, taking aim at the White House’s policy of pre-emptive war and its Middle East diplomacy.

The criticism 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.

“I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history,” Carter told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in a story that appeared in the newspaper’s Saturday editions. “The overt reversal of America’s basic values as expressed by previous administrations, including those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and others, has been the most disturbing to me.”

Carter spokeswoman Deanna Congileo confirmed his comments to The Associated Press on Saturday and declined to elaborate. He spoke while promoting his new audiobook series, “Sunday Mornings in Plains,” a collection of weekly Bible lessons from his hometown of Plains, Ga.

Critic accuses Carter of ‘reckless accusations’
“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 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.”

‘Those are fighting words’
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.”

Carter also lashed out Saturday at British prime minister Tony Blair. Asked how he would judge Blair’s support of Bush, the former president 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.

**bigss75** · 05-20-2007, 01:04 PM

Coming from the guy who had no foreign policy, except the camp david accords, which is the reason we have to give billions of dollars of aid to Egypt every year. Also giving the Panama Canal away was a genius idea too. Also not being able to release the hostages, that it took Reagan minutes to do was pretty bad.

Im not saying the bush's policy is amazing but Carter wasn't hot at all.

**BoneCrusher** · 05-20-2007, 01:42 PM

He's 100% correct. The Republican crew here at IM who are unable to disassociate themselves from Bush because of their party loyalties will of course come out with all the Carter bashing and denials of Bush's idiocy ... but that won't change the infinitely increased terror threat that is a direct result of Bush's bullshit. We have had to completely restructure the way the various protective services go about preventing terrorist activities in the US yet even at this rate those in the terrorism prevention side of the business all agree that we will see a mushroom cloud somewhere that it doesn't belong as a direct result of Bush policies. NEVER have we been at such risk as we are now to the Islamic fundamentalists.

The inability of the religious right to look at British history and it's then very timely motivational influences on the founding fathers as they wrote the constitution will show itself as they deny what Bush has done. He has allowed his religious perspective to take a higher role in governing than what is constitutionally mandated, but as long as the religious choice is in line then it's

. Unless of course you're a Hindu, Buddist, Muslim, or an atheist ... in which case you lose the right to be represented by your President because he refused to honor his constitutional mandate to separate his religious beliefs from his method of governing.

**Pylon** · 05-20-2007, 06:56 PM

The older Carter gets, the more I like him. He's taken on the role of cranky old man who doesn't care what anyone thinks and just speaks his mind. (It doesn't hurt that he's dead on correct.)

**Double D** · 05-20-2007, 07:03 PM

Hell I dont think we need Carter to tell us that, shouldve just asked you ole buddy Double D.

**KelJu** · 05-20-2007, 07:48 PM

Carter has nothing to lose by telling the truth, so he does. I like it!

**DOMS** · 05-20-2007, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by bigss75

Coming from the guy who had no foreign policy, except the camp david accords, which is the reason we have to give billions of dollars of aid to Egypt every year. Also giving the Panama Canal away was a genius idea too. Also not being able to release the hostages, that it took Reagan minutes to do was pretty bad.

Im not saying the bush's policy is amazing but Carter wasn't hot at all.

Well said. Carter is about the last person that should be saying anything anyone's foreign policy.

Why doesn't he hurry up and die?

**BoneCrusher** · 05-20-2007, 10:42 PM

Bush's foreign policy is the worst we've ever experienced ... but his idiocy has eight years of national display.

**BoneCrusher** · 05-20-2007, 10:50 PM

This is frigging hilarious ...

**NordicNacho** · 05-21-2007, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by DOMS

Well said. Carter is about the last person that should be saying anything anyone's foreign policy.

Why doesn't he hurry up and die?

Carter didn't put the Sha in power. Their was and still is a lot of hatred in Iran for the USA incase you forgot we helped overthrow a democracy and replaced it with a dictatership that liked to use torture.

Carters fault I think not. You didn't see him doing this nation Building Shit the 1st Bush was very smart when it came to forighn affairs remember all the shit he took for not marching straight to bagdad? He would of been a 2 term pres if it hadn't been for perot

**DOMS** · 05-21-2007, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by NordicNacho

Carter didn't put the Sha in power. Their was and still is a lot of hatred in Iran for the USA incase you forgot we helped overthrow a democracy and replaced it with a dictatership that liked to use torture.

Carters fault I think not. You didn't see him doing this nation Building Shit the 1st Bush was very smart when it came to forighn affairs remember all the shit he took for not marching straight to bagdad? He would of been a 2 term pres if it hadn't been for perot

I'm not defending Bush is any way, I'm saying that Jimmy isn't someone that should be critiquing someone else's foreign affairs policy.

**min0 lee** · 05-21-2007, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

I'm not defending Bush is any way, I'm saying that Jimmy isn't someone that should be critiquing someone else's foreign affairs policy.

Who better than a former President.

Another case of the pot calling the kettle black.

**NordicNacho** · 05-21-2007, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

I'm not defending Bush is any way, I'm saying that Jimmy isn't someone that should be critiquing someone else's foreign affairs policy.

You said Carter had no policy. The Sha was overthrown and hostages taken that was the one real black spot. What should he have done done? Given them missiles like Reagan did?

**DOMS** · 05-21-2007, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by min0 lee

Who better than a former President.

Another case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Your statements seem to contradict each other...

**DOMS** · 05-21-2007, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by NordicNacho

You said Carter had no policy.

When did I say this?

Originally Posted by NordicNacho

The Sha was overthrown and hostages taken that was the one real black spot. What should he have done done? Given them missiles like Reagan did?

Carter's foreign policy was minimal and shitty.

It was great how he caved and handed over the most strategic piece of land in the Americas. Bravo...

**NordicNacho** · 05-21-2007, 03:12 PM

i guess the regan guy said it. oops my bad. Carter never tryed nation building thats for sure

**min0 lee** · 05-21-2007, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

Your statements seem to contradict each other...

This happens when you have 2 people sharing opinions on the same post.

**min0 lee** · 05-21-2007, 04:00 PM

Henry Kissinger summarized it this way: 'The Carter administration has managed the extraordinary feat of having, at one and the same time, the worst relations with our allies, the worst relations with our adversaries, and the most serious upheavals in the developing world since the end of the Second World War.'"

.

**maniclion** · 05-21-2007, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

It was great how he caved and handed over the most strategic piece of land in the Americas. Bravo...

I personally wouldn't want to have that extra baggage which could be an extra target for these Evil-doers to take aim at and waste more of our money, it has no strategic advantage for us anymore, maybe when the Navy couldn't jet propel a handful of destroyers or CG's anywhere on the globe it was special, but now it would be a burden on our shoulders and an extra target....

**bigss75** · 05-21-2007, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by maniclion

I personally wouldn't want to have that extra baggage which could be an extra target for these Evil-doers to take aim at and waste more of our money, it has no strategic advantage for us anymore, maybe when the Navy couldn't jet propel a handful of destroyers or CG's anywhere on the globe it was special, but now it would be a burden on our shoulders and an extra target....

Its a moneymaker. I remember they collecting something like 180 million dollars a quarter in tolls, subtract the operating costs, thats a nice chunk of change we gave away

**lnvanry** · 05-21-2007, 09:31 PM

Carter admits his comments were careless and he didn't mean that Bush had the worst policy in US history.

He meant that Bush's FOREIGN policy was worse than Nixons....He didn't even mean it was worse than his own.

See what happens Nacho when you quote loser presidents

I voted for Bush but you won't see me quoting his statements like their gold.

You might want to learn a thing or two at my site when have some time....it might help your foot in mouth disease.
itsallpolitics.com

Carter says comments were â€˜carelessâ€™ - Politics - MSNBC.com

guess its time to retract Jimmy

**NordicNacho** · 05-22-2007, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by bigss75

Its a moneymaker. I remember they collecting something like 180 million dollars a quarter in tolls, subtract the operating costs, thats a nice chunk of change we gave away

your joking right

panama is going to spend billions having to upgrade it so the new huge tankers can go through it. 180 million is chump change when the war in Iraq costs over 427,000,000,000 so far Nationbuilding is not very cheap.

Cost of War - National Priorities Project

**maniclion** · 05-22-2007, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by bigss75

Its a moneymaker. I remember they collecting something like 180 million dollars a quarter in tolls, subtract the operating costs, thats a nice chunk of change we gave away

**bigss75** · 05-22-2007, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by NordicNacho

your joking right panama is going to spend billions having to upgrade it so the new huge tankers can go through it.

Their spending 5 billion which would be paid off in less then ten years, and the upgrades increase revenues.

**NordicNacho** · 05-22-2007, 05:16 PM

pennys on the dollar man. The red states suck alot more then that out of Cali every year we need to revolt where tired of funding your wars and social programs. Those southern states sure know how spend the democrats money thats for sure

**NordicNacho** · 05-22-2007, 05:20 PM

Its funny as hell all the red states are sucking the blue states dry. Bunch lazy people down there

The Tax Foundation - Federal Tax Burdens and Expenditures by State

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