Carter honest?
Not exceptionally. Remember, he showcased his "honesty" at the start by carrying his own bags. It was later revealed that the bags were just for show and just as empty as he was.
Some people confuse his moralizing as evidence of morality. Not doubt he ranks higher than the current nadir, Clinton, but I suspect he was quite average. When you read biographies, Carter is shown to be a small, petty and often mean man. He was a lousy southern governor who became a lousy president whom his own party treated with open contempt (sound familiar?). So he has spent the last 18 years trying to be a good ex-president, though none of his successors have taken him seriously. Remarkably, Carter has publicly accused Clinton of snubbing him and his efforts the most.
I still recall the way Carter used the Iranian hostage crisis for his own political benefit. Carter had been trailing Kennedy badly in the polls until the hostages were taken. Carter immediately promised that he would not campaign so long as Americans were held. The country rallied to him and his polls rose.
But when the public became tired of his inaction, Carter ordered the abortive, half-baked "rescue mission" which predictably ended in disaster and lost lives. That mission had no chance of succeeding according to the experts, but the sacrifice of others did help his bid for re-election.
Carter unceremoniously abandoned his "no campaign" pledge when the polls reversed themselves. The Media paid little attention at the time but it does show how clearly Carter used the crisis to hide in the WH and avoid confronting Kennedy. No wonder Kennedy refused to shake hands and stand side-by-side with him at the 1980 convention. It was truly comical to see Carter chasing Kennedy, a man he hated, around the podium stage in his effort to secure a "unity" photo for his campaign.
Carter though, will always be fondly remembered for his touching and most fitting tribute to "Hubert Horatio Hornblower" at the 1980 convention. Calling a gasbag a "gasbag" certainly is honest, however unintentional. |
