Former President Jimmy Carter has apologized to Jews for what the New York Times refers to as “any words or deeds that may have upset Jews.” Carter said in a letter that, “We must not permit criticisms for improvement to stigmatize Israel.” Carter’s 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” angered many Jews.
Carter’s grandson Jason Carter is running for a seat in the Georgia Senate with what the Associated Press correctly calls, “a vocal Jewish population.” I am not sure if the former president’s timing has anything to do with his grandson’s campaign nor am I sure as to why the New York Times failed to mention his grandson’s campaign in their story (as of 9:37 a.m. Dec. 24). Grandson claims the former President’s letter was, “unrelated to his campaign and hailed the apology as a “great step towards reconciliation.”
Hmmm.
I was raised a Democrat. I followed the 1976 Democratic primary and subsequent presidential election very closely. Carter was not the man of high integrity and principle that many now believe him to be. He told his audiences what they wanted to hear even when those statements conflicted with previous statements. In 1976 he was pure politician.
Carter is viewed by many as a hero for negotiating the Egyptian-Israeli peace deal. I have never understood that view. My study of that deal says Carter’s biggest contribution was to not mess things up any further than he already had; Carter opposed Anwar Sadat’s overtures and subsequent trip to Israel to seek peace. It was Sadat and Begin that were the heroes of that deal. In my view Sadat is one of the great heroes of the 20th century.
In a New York Times Opinion section, August 6, of 2000, Carter wrote:
“An important principle in negotiation is for the mediator to maintain at least the semblance of neutrality. Accolades for one side and condemnation of the other is always a political temptation after an unsuccessful effort, but this makes it very difficult to orchestrate future negotiation sessions where mutual confidence in the mediator is required.
Carter’s book, while not was not his first and possibly not his most significant effort to take sides in the Middle East, but it was certainly his most blatant violation of the very core of the mediation he claimed to favor in the above mentioned article.
Carter’s apology to Jews may or may not be legitimate. Future actions may give us some clue. The problem is that Carter’s actions over many years, begining long before his 2006 book, emboldened terrorists, strengthened their resolve, led to their acceptance throughout the world including the Palestinian territories. His support has led to many Israeli deaths, and deaths of others that have fallen in the path of terrorists. Carter will have to come to terms with this history himself. The Jews can’t help him there. We have no power to grant atonement.
And there is something else – by lending his credibility to terrorist groups Carter weakened moderate Palestinians in the face of extremists, forcing Israel to remain defensive. Stated simply, former President Jimmy Carter is very much an architect of the wall he so despises in his book. For this Carter needs to apologize to Palestinian children.
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As a Jew, I find it difficult to know where to begin in my criticisms of this towering symbol of dangerous mediocrity and indecision. You have spelled it out well but I would add the Iranian Hostage Crisis, a real low point in the post WWII America, was exacerbated by his perceived weakness and lack of a decisive foreign policy.
That being said, I believe he is perhaps the happiest man alive; with the election of Barak Obama, Mr Carter will no longer be considered the worst President in the World…(say it like Oberman)
Carter proves the adage that “the pen is mightier then the sword”…As he has done more damage to all involved with his words and ideas then a brigade of homicide bombers could ever do…He really is “the worthless one”, as he is known among the talk radio crowd.
In spite of what “Jimmah” Carter may say or do, nothing will ever change there unless one side thoroughly defeats the other . Until that happens, there will always be rocket attacks from the “pillistinians” (arafatspeak) and incursions into Gaza from Israel to try and daintily remove “insurgents” hiding among civilians. But nothing permanent or long lasting is ever accomplished, only continued hostilities and tragedy.
Unfortunately, for the Israelis, they have become victims of their own domestic brand of “political correctness”, dictated to them by “world” opinion out of the anti-Semitic European Union. So the cycle of stupidity and violence will continue endlessly, not matter what the peanut(-brained ) farmer sez…
I’m looking forward to the day when I turn on the TV and there is wall-to-wall coverage of the anti-Semite Carter’s camel-drawn casket being pulled down a dusty dirt road in Gaza City, dumped in the Mediterranean and summarily escorted to the Gates of Hell by Leon Klinghoffer and Robert Stethem. Hey, I can dream….
Dream on Crusader. Klinghoffer the Jew died of natural causes, 2 bullets one in the head-one in the back, on the cruise ship, Achilles Lauro during an armed take-over by repressed Palestinian freedom fighters in 1986.
The Navy serviceman, Robert Stethem, died when he tried to be a hero, defending a stewardess, during the hijacking of a commercial airliner, also in 1986, on his way home for leave. He was only beaten and tortured to teach him and those following him a lesson.
Both did not follow instructions clearly given by the freedom fighters who were carrying out the wishes of Allah and then spiritual leader Yasser Arafat..( Both are admired by J. Carter.) Now you know the truth…
People like Carter don’t make honest heartfelt apologizes unless they undergo a real epiphany, which is very rare on the left. Most likely, the “left handed”, sort of apology, to Israel is nothing more then a political maneuver to help his grandson, JasonJimmy Carter.
Hopefully, the people of Georgia will see thru this new Carter phony and vote for him only after grandpa Jimmah, apologizes to US…
I was born in 1979, so I didn’t get to experience first hand the Carter Presidency. But from all said here, I see maybe why he lost in a 49 state landslide in 1980. I’ve heard he hates it when you call him “Jimmah”….
I believe it was only a “46″ state landslide plus DC…But whose counting?
That is an LOL!
When Carter takes a firm stand against Hamas/PLO/Al Oxqua Martyrs Brigade Palestinian terrorists, criticizes their actions harshly on a consistent basis, then and only then should we even consider forgiveness. In other words, a complete about face in his views and attitudes. Not much chance of that, so no forgiveness for you, Carter…
I “did the Google” to find out more info about Jason/Jimmy Carter. Found a sympathetic article on the Atlanta Journal web page. It was what you would expect from a liberal rag, but the “comments” on the piece were instructive.
I’m just gussin’ here, but it seems to me that there is a significant number who are ready to “Welcome Back Carter”, and an equally significant number, not ready to swallow any CarterLittleLiverPills ever again. So Little Jimmy is about even money as I write.
The peanut doesn’t fall far from the tree. Jason is making an all out effort in Georgia to make sure no one has to show photo ID when they vote. He thinks that’s against The Voting Rights Act of ’65(?), and thinks that groups like ACORN should be publicly funded. That alone should tip you off as to what this kid’s priorities are.
So, if you people in Georgia give Jason/Jimmah a foothold, he could steamroll to very high office on name recognition alone. So put the brakes on now, before Jimmah Jr. runs “youall” off the road.
All the comments here sounds like a bunch of democrat hateing republican racists. They despise any democrat that just wants to help the people, like Obama. But Mr Jimmy Carter was the kind of president that I think Obama is trying to be like..Helpful to the peoples that cannot seem to make it in a white world. sorry, but the roots of slavery goes real deep in the attitudes of the present day Negroes.
I only hope Obama has enough money in his stash to help his peoples in De-Troit. We are really hurtin here. Nobody has a job that amounts to much. So we is forced to sell everything from drugs to our asses in order to make it, even with the help of Obama, the democrat mayor and the democrat governor..You’d think wit all these democrats in charge, all us black folk would be rich by now…
Samantha, you ARE rich….You live in the USA, where the only thing holding you back is the mindset you have right now, thinking you’re helpless without Obama. The fact that you come to a BLOG like this tells me you are at least interested in helping yourself.
I know Robert will have some suggestions to help you out of the rut you are in….Robert?
The only hope for the Palestinian children, is that they be adopted by Israeli families, and all the Palestinian adults be “put down”. Then we can start over..
We will eventually rid the area of Jews so we can extend the Gaza Strip all the way to the Jordan River. We will, have no jobs, no economy, no friends, no food, no laws, no nothing…But THERE WILL BE NO JEWS…Thanks God..
Allah Akbar..Yassar!! Your dream MAY come true, with the help of a “Death Wish” oriented electorate…