You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the Cuba out of the boy
chronwatch.com
Jimmy Carter never met a dictator or Communist he didn't like. Whereas Bush included North Korea as part of the "axis of evil," Carter said of the Koreans, "I don't see that they are an outlaw nation." As to Bush's remark, Carter said, "I think it will take years before we can repair the damage done by that statement."
In effect, Carter is a one-man public relations firm for the world's worst hombres. Of the murderous Kim II Sung, Carter declared, "I find him to be vigorous, intelligent and in charge of the decisions about this country." Same could be said of Hitler, Stalin and Mao. Indeed, in 1997, Carter did some unsolicited p.r. for Mao, entitled, "It's Wrong to Demonize China," in which he penned, "Westerners emphasize personal freedoms, while a stable government and a unified nation are paramount to the Chinese. This means that policies are shaped by fear of chaos from unrestrained dissidents. . . ."
While he was President, Carter praised Yugoslavian dictator Marshal Tito as "a man who believes in human rights." And of Romanian dictator Ceausescu, he said, "Our goals are the same. We believe in enhancing human rights." Obviously Carter has a very novel sense of human rights if he sees so many totalitarian countries "enhancing" them. "Restraining dissidents," providing the stability that can only come from totalitarianism, thus constitutes enhancing human rights in Carter's mind.
One thing that can interfere with the stability that a dictator can bring to a country is free elections, but if these are "well organized," dissident votes can be easily controlled, so as not to jeopardize a country's "stability" with a change of leadership. Carter's longtime friendship with Nicaraguan Marxist Daniel Ortega is well known. When the Reagan administration succeeded in providing free elections there in 1990, Carter self-appointed himself to monitor the democratic process in action. When the Sandinistas lost to the democratic opposition, he was bitterly disappointed, causing Reagan's Secretary of State Jeanne Kilpatrick to remark, "you would have thought a Democrat would be happy."
But Carter learned a valuable lesson from the Nicaraguan election. If "free" elections are to be achieve the desired outcome, they must be better organized. Small wonder then that he would be praising Arafat's 1996 election as "well organized, open and fair." After years of pro bono p.r. on behalf of tyrants everywhere, Carter found his new champion in Yasser ("He's My Baby") Arafat. In 1990, Carter and Rosalynn met with Arafat, who gifted Rosalynn with a Palestinian dress for Amy for whom Arafat expressed great admiration for her anti-CIA efforts in Nicaragua. That was enough to convince Carter to actually become a speech writer for Arafat.
In The Unfinished President, biographer Douglas Brinkley writes that Carter conceived of the strategy and words for the subsequent speech which Arafat would "deliver soon for Western ears." One can imagine Clinton writing speeches for the Chinese Communists after the millions in donations he received, but in fact Carter has the dishonor of being the first ex-President to write speeches for a terrorist. In Carter's muddled mind, the democratically elected Sharon is akin to the racist sheriffs of the pre-civil rights South. This is humorously ironic, for those sheriffs had the elections so "well organized" that Negroes were never allowed to vote, or only for the candidate of the sheriff's choice. Even today, the bodies of Palestinian dissidents may be seen strung up in areas governed by the Palestinian Authority, mirroring the lynchings of the Old South. Nevertheless, to Carter as Brinkley notes, "The intifada exposed the injustice Palestinians suffered, just like Bull Connor's mad dogs in Birmingham."
Indeed, such advocacy for Palestinian terrorism has earned the Carter Center big bucks from Arab contributors. As a so-called Christian, one would think Carter would have second thoughts about accepting blood money, but he has gone more than the extra mile for Arafatall the way to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to talk the Saudis into restoring funding for Arafat's jihad after Arafat bet on the wrong side (Saddam) in the Gulf War.
Then in April 21 in the New York Times, Carter went mainstream with his p.r. for Arafat in an article entitled "America Can Persuade Israel to Make a Just Peace." A just peace according to Arafat! Imagine the chutzpah of this guy trying to set American policy for the Middle East, suggesting that U.S. aid to Israel be terminated unless Israel accedes to Palestinian demands.
Whereas Sharon's goal is the same as ours, to root out terrorism, Carter's article nonetheless portrayed Sharon like Bull Connor, and then came the topper, justification for suicide bombers. Carter wrote that Arafat "may well see the suicide attacks as one of the few ways to retaliate against his tormenters, [those folks celebrating Passover in the hotel?!] to dramatize the suffering of his people, or as a means for him, vicariously, to be a martyr." But what else could this good Christian ex-President say? After all, the Saudis were holding telethons for the martyrs, and the Saudis were among the Arabs funding the Carter Center!
When Carter went to Cuba, he didn't disappoint Castro. His speech was even translated into Spanish so that the Cuban people could hear it. Wherever he goes, no matter which dictator sponsors him, America always comes off second best. In Haiti, he told Cedras that he was ashamed of what America had done to his country. Presumably he has decried the embargo against Iraq, although I couldn't find the pertinent quote. He told the Cuba people the embargo against Cuba should be lifted, thereby undermining Bush and American foreign policy.
Henry II's words about Thomas a Becket come to mind: "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest." I have two suggestions for President Bush on how to deal with Carter's meddling: First, appoint Carter as an American intermediary for the Falun Gong society with the Chinese government. Since he has stated that freedom of religion has come to China, such a role should not put him in harm's way unless he brings up freeing Tibet. Secondly, Bush could appoint the Carters Roving Good Will Ambassadors to Israel, at the disposal of Sharon, who could require the Carters to appear at the largest gatherings of Israelis, thereby perhaps staying the hand of their friend Arafat's suicide bombers. Or, if not, thereby allowing the Carters to share in the martyrdom, albeit not vicariously, that they believe Arafat seeks.box |
