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Guest Voice: News Flash to Jimmy Carter: You are No Longer President

April 27th, 2008
By JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief

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This Guest Voice post is by Floyd and Mary Beth Brown. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its writers.

News Flash to Jimmy Carter: You are No Longer President

By Floyd and Mary Beth Brown

You have probably heard of a “rogue cop,” but now there is a “rogue former president” who is out independently and recklessly promoting his own foreign policy.

However, this is certainly not a new stunt for Jimmy Carter; he has a long history of meeting with terrorist leaders in the Middle East. Once again, this former president defied the United States and Israel by meeting with top leaders of Hamas. U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick said of Carter, “His actions reward terrorists, lend support, and provide legitimacy to their belief that violence will eventually get them what they want.”

Myrick called on Secretary of State Condi Rice to revoke Jimmy Carter’s passport. He clearly is violating U.S. policy in meeting with leaders of a terrorist organization. The power to grant and revoke passports is under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of State. Carter reportedly hugged and kissed one of the Hamas leaders and met for seven hours with top Hamas officials.

After his visit, Carter told National Public Radio that he had not received a clear signal from the Bush administration not to go. In response, Condi told reporters, “We counseled President Carter against going to the region and particularly against having contacts with Hamas,” affirming that the State Department did indeed explicitly advise Carter against meeting with Hamas. Carter’s meddling creates confusion amidst the already ensuing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Apparently, Carter has never gotten over losing to Ronald Reagan. “Perhaps [Carter’s] greatest regret in not being reelected was that it prevented him from completing a comprehensive peace agreement,” writes Carter biographer Peter G. Bourne. However, in 1983 Carter met with Hafez al-Assad, president of Syria, a known sponsor of terrorism. “In 1985,” Bourne continues, “Carter published The Blood of Abraham… what amounted to the strategy for a permanent peace that he would have pursued in a second term.”

By his actions, it appears that even though he lost the presidency in 1980, Carter is still trying to enact his strategy for Middle East peace. In 1987, Carter returned for a meeting with Assad despite the Reagan administration refusing to have any official contact with the terrorist organization, the PLO.

Upon his homecoming, Carter gave complimentary remarks concerning Assad. Around this same time, Carter began a dialogue with Yasser Arafat of the PLO. At a hotel in Paris in 1990, they finally met in person and discussed Middle East politics at length. On his most recent trip, Carter laid a wreath at Arafat’s grave, and praised him as a man who fought for “just causes” in the world. This was Carter’s heartfelt homily to a brutal killer.

Carter’s alleged area of concern remains what he calls “conflict resolution”. It is a constant central theme of the Carter Center in Atlanta. Since 2001, the center has received about $19 million in taxpayer dollars. In direct response to Carter’s meetings, Rep. Joe Knollenberg introduced legislation to make sure that taxpayer funds are “not being used to support discussions or negotiations with terrorist groups.” Another U.S. lawmaker presented a non-binding resolution that would urge former presidents to refrain from “freelance diplomacy.”

Ironically, we have Jimmy Carter to thank for Secretary Condi Rice’s switch in political parties in 1980. Dr. Rice is an expert on the Soviet Union and Russia.

She became a Republican because Jimmy Carter appeared to be so naïve about the Communist Soviet Union following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. She has said, “I remember thinking, What did you think we were dealing with? This is a horrible government — of course they invaded some foreign country!” It was then she decided we needed a tougher policy toward “this repressive regime.” Carter’s mishandling of the Cold War lead her to vote for Ronald Reagan. Condi admired his strength and foreign policy regarding the Soviets. “I thought the Soviets were aggressive and playing us like a violin. I thought Carter didn’t understand the true nature of the Soviet Union, which was pretty dark.”

Once again, it appears Jimmy Carter is being naïve and does not understand the true nature of the Palestinian terrorists who have murdered hundreds of innocent men, women and children, including American citizens. Evidently, Carter wants to be known as a peacemaker, and maybe his ego is getting in the way, but meeting with terrorists is not the way to bring peace to the Middle East.

His last day as president was twenty-eight years ago. Wake up, Jimmy. You are no longer president and you are just playing into the hands of terrorists.

Yet again, Jimmy Carter is being “played like a violin.”

©2008 Floyd and Mary Beth Brown. The Browns are bestselling authors and speakers. Together they write a national weekly column distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

Cartoon by Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner



This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Hamas, Mideast, Jimmy Carter, Guest Contributor, Israel, Palestine, Middle East. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 9 Comments

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    Since Carter traveled as a private citizen, not in any official capacity, making so much of his ex-president status does not really add much of substnce to what is merely a difference of opinion on foreign policy issues.

    People of good conscience do differ about tactics,. That's neither a sin nor a crime nor an excetional phenomenon.
    Many, like Carter, believe that everything possible should be done to resolve conflicts before they erupt in open warfate,. To avoid losing lives and livelihoods whenever possible is seen by them as a primary goal.

    The negoitations, the kind supported by the administration, have not been successful (as per Abbas, among others) Thus, Carter had a choice to make: watch from a distance while the situation deteriorates or face the inevtitable criticism and villification in an attempt to bring about some improvement.
    Some would call that self-sacrifice, as he could have chosen to tend to his reputation and investments, instead.

    Rice's Party switching also fails to add anything of substance to the debate about foreign policy. Her expertise on the cold war and USSR have not proved to be an asset in the ME. The cultures in the ME are not the cultures of Europe or Russia, nuclear energy was a new-born then, the nature of news coverage was entirely different., and so on. I think Rice has failed to move on from the area and era of her experitise to the brand new challenges of today.

    Though Carter wasn't successful, at least he tried. There is value in that.
    A rigid adherence to certain policies, even when they dont' work, closes off too many channels, too many opportunities.
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    I am a fan of Carter's initiative and see value in opening up communication channels with enemies. I have a lot more faith in his integrity, intentions and judgment than I do the members of this administration. He may have been relatively timid but he would not have provoked war and alienated allies and potential allies.
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    Wow. This guest voice is oozing with seething and irrational hatred for Jimmy Carter. This article fails to point out ANY downside to Carter's trip to the Middle East.

    And I really wonder if Floyd and Mary Beth Brown know that a majority of Israelis want their government to hold direct talks with Hamas:
    Sixty-four percent of Israelis say the government must hold direct talks with the Hamas government in Gaza toward a cease-fire and the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit. Less than one-third (28 percent) still opposes such talks.


    Maybe the Browns should have written an article blasting the Israeli government for not carrying out the popular will of their own people.
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    Yet another article that ignores the advice of Brent Scowcroft, Lee Hamilton and Colin Powell.

    It's all about Jimmy Carter, I guess. Can't bash him quite as strongly if you point out how other respected individuals agree with his approach.
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    I don't imagine that President Carter would have made the trip at all if the current administration remained engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict--if it followed through on its well-meaning overtures with proactive on-the-ground diplomatic pressure. I understand that you can't always get the horse to drink the water you've led it to, but we presumably have some influence as the world's only superpower (for now) over both sides (as well as by their being substantial beneficiaries of US aid). Secretary Rice's arm's length diplomacy is serving us no better in Israel and the occupied territories as it is in Iraq, in Iran, in Syria, etc.

    As a final thought, we should think very carefully before we go branding peoples with labels that per se make them persona non grata. It is counterproductive to any peaceful resolution. One can take a tough, principled stance when negotiating with anyone; and it is only by exercising such discipline and fortitude in a good faith effort that a constructive result has any chance to see the light of day.
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    Former chief of the Mossad and former head of Israel's National Security Council Efraim Halevy has called for talks with Hamas as have former Shin Bet director and General Security Services Chief Ya'akov Perry and Israel's Minister of Transportation, former Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Likudnik Shaul Mofaz. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell (remember him, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff led the U.S. to victory in the first Persian Gulf War) has also endorsed this view. In January, Israeli security cabinet minister and former head of the Israeli secret service Ami Ayalon called for talks with Hamas.

    Instead of Carter being “naïve” possibly it is Floyd and Mary Beth who don’t have a clue as to what they are talking about.
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    He's had a great post-Presidency until the Bush years. The Nobel lunacy was simply playpen-PC pathology, and this anti-Israeli tack he has taken makes us question if he's becoming senile or adopting the more sinister (literally, so true) nature of the Western Left.
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    "Myrick called on Secretary of State Condi Rice to revoke Jimmy Carter’s passport."

    It would be nice to see Carter, ahem, delayed several days in being allowed to re-enter this country. Just for justice's sake!
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    Muslims Against Sharia Urge Support for Sue Myrick's "Wake Up America" Initiative

    Wake Up America

    1. Investigate all military chaplains endorsed by Abdurahman Alamoudi, who was imprisoned for funding a terrorist organization.

    2. Investigate all prison chaplains endorsed by Alamoudi.

    3. Investigate the selection process of Arabic translators working for the Pentagon and the FBI.

    4. Examine the non-profit status of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

    5. Make it an act of sedition or solicitation of treason to preach or publish materials that call for the deaths of Americans.

    6. Audit sovereign wealth funds in the United States.

    7. Cancel scholarship student visa program with Saudi Arabia until they reform their text books, which she claims preach hatred and violence against non-Muslims.

    8. Restrict religious visas for imams who come from countries that don't allow reciprocal visits by non-Muslim clergy.

    9. Cancel contracts to train Saudi police and security in U.S. counterterrorism tactics.

    10. Block the sale of sensitive military munitions to Saudi Arabia.


    Muslims Against Sharia urge every American to send a letter of support to Congresswoman Myrick. Sample letter is provided below.

    ==========================

    The Honorable Sue Myrick
    230 Cannon House Office Building
    Washington, D.C. 20515
    Phone: (202) 225-1976
    Fax: (202) 225-3389


    Dear Congresswoman Myrick,

    As an American who is concerned with the issue of terrorism, I applaud your efforts to prevent radical Islam from infiltrating American society. I wholeheartedly support your "Wake Up America" plan, as well as other initiative