Not Jimmy Carter Bad
 |
James Joyner | Friday, May 25, 2007 |
London Times U.S. editor Gerard Baker assesses Jimmy Carter’s claim that George W. Bush’s presidency is the “the worst in history” and judges that, while it is bad, “it’s not Jimmy Carter bad.”
For the younger reader, perhaps already infused with a nostalgia that recalls the 1970s as a time of peace and prosperity, a brief reminder of the golden era of Carter is in order. It wasn’t all disco and flared trousers and sex without condoms. Also fashionable in those days were unemployment, inflation and communism.
The US jobless rate was more than 10 per cent. Inflation touched 15 per cent. Soviet troops marched unmolested into Afghanistan. America watched helpless as its diplomats were held hostage by Iranian revolutionaries for 444 days. In the rest of the world, from Latin America to Asia, American power yielded to the communist advance; economically, America was being bested by Japan and Germany.
And then there was the moment when the US President was almost felled by a killer rabbit.
Of course, if all one can say about as presidency is that it’s not quite as bad as Carter’s, that’s not saying much.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- None Found
- Bloggers Not Swearing So Bleeping Much
- OTB Caption JamTM
- McCain Outs Obama Iraq Trip! Trying to Get Him Killed!
- OTB Latenight - The Clash
- 100 Most Influential Slogans
- McCain Working for Dollars, Not Votes?
- Hillary Clinton Buys 2012 Website!!
- Conservatives for Obama II
- McCain Collects Social Security
- Heller Denied D.C. Gun Permit
- ProfessorBainbridge.com ® linked with Carter Compared to Bush...
Of course, if all one can say about as presidency is that it’s not quite as bad as Carter’s, that’s not saying much.
Indeed.
Not to mention his stupidity and blindness in his dealing with with North Korea.
To be fair, a lot of the problems during the Carter years were fall out from Nixon's stint in office. The economic problems were largely the result of Nixon's socialist economic policies (e.g. wage & price controls). Our foreign affairs problems resulted largely from the end game of the Viet Nam war (both in terms of what the country would support and in the way other countries viewed us). Admittedly, Carter didn't do anything to hasten the end of these problems, but I don't think it's accurate to blame him for causing them either.
While agree with the final conclusion, I have to say, "It isn't Jimmy Carter bad" is pretty damn funny given Carter's recent statements.
Comments are Closed
