Ex-President and Current National Embarrassment Jimmy Carter today defends his much-maligned book on Israel and the Palestinians in the LA Times. Which is to say he once again claims to be the only person in America doing the moral thing.
We are particularly irritated by Carter's implication there's no real debate in the United States on this subject and that he is breaking the silence by setting forth a vision of "Israelis and Palestinians living side by side within their own internationally recognized boundaries." Apparently the only debates that Carter knows about are the ones that play out between the voices in his head. The two-state solution has been debated in this country for years, so much so that it goes by that shorthand expression. As we recall, the current President is the first in that office to have explicitly endorsed it, and he did it at the beginning of his first term.
We are not just irritated but amazed that Carter describes Professor Kenneth Stein's criticism of the book as coming from "a former Carter Center fellow" who "took issue." Well, he became a "former" fellow because of his objection to the book. He resigned in protest. And he didn't just take issue. He said that the book is full of factual lies.
If a history of ex-Presidents is ever written, it will have to note the irony that the shamed Richard Nixon, after his years of exile, with his occasional articles and few books contributed tremendously more to public life in retirement than Carter did with all his self-righteous blather.
3 comments:
can't blame the man for dreaming of a united world. Can blame him for writing a book about how everyone is wrong because they don't share his same dream.
After the SWNID post the other day illuminating this situation I went to Barnes and Nobles in Newport to see the book (and perhaps sit down and read a chapter or two so as to gain more wisdom on the subject). I was disappointed when said book was non-locatable. Not to say that the esteemed B and D didn't have it but I could not find it and the cashier didn't know where it specifically would be if they even had it. I guess the public won't have too much to worry about it if they can't read it.
On Meet the Press last week, Carter's response to the question, "If Bush were to surprise the world by calling you right now for advice about the Palestinian/Israel conflict, what would you tell him?" was "First, I would tell him we need to end our cruel, cruel treatment of the Palestinians by resuming our aid packages to them."
So our refusal to pay them a peace bribe is cruel, cruel?
It's no wonder no one in their right mind would listen to this nonsense.
Hensel—that's why you should go to Borders next time.
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