Why does Jimmy Carter think he is still relevant?

[quote name='GuilewasNK']I can't think of any other former President doing what he is now in the Middle East or anywhere else.[/QUOTE]

That's because most other presidents realize their time in the spotlight has passed, and that it's a hard enough job as it is being president without those who know most of all how difficult a job it is undermining/criticizing them. Personally, I think Carter is still haunted by the horrible job he did while he was in office and thinks things like this are making up for it.
 
Possibly because since he's no longer sworn to an office where he has to put the interests of Americans first, he feels free to work for the good of other people.

Imagine that.

And anyway, saying other ex-presidents don't do this kind of thing is like complaining that your doctor didn't leave a clamp in your abdomen -- a bit backwards, and not something to be proud of, IMO. There's a real chance Carter will do more good this way than some presidents have done while in office, and it's a damn sight better than spending your last decades raising money for your party and getting really good at golf.
 
[quote name='trq']Possibly because since he's no longer sworn to an office where he has to put the interests of Americans first, he feels free to work for the good of other people.

Imagine that.

And anyway, saying other ex-presidents don't do this kind of thing is like complaining that your doctor didn't leave a clamp in your abdomen -- a bit backwards, and not something to be proud of, IMO.

No, it's like a mechanic that fucked up your car engine in the past (Carter) is trying to correct the mechanic (Bush) that is fucking up your car engine now.

There's a real chance Carter will do more good this way than some presidents have done while in office, and it's a damn sight better than spending your last decades raising money for your party and getting really good at golf.

I'll use this time honored phrase...

The chances he is going to do any real good are slim to none and slim and slim left town.

[/quote]

Bush and Carter are two of the worst Presidents ever IMO. Sure, Carter is free to do what he wants, but has no real authority to promise anything.
 
I think Carter has probably done more good out of office than he ever did while in office. He's also probably done more good than any other former president has ever done.
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']Bush and Carter are two of the worst Presidents ever IMO. Sure, Carter is free to do what he wants, but has no real authority to promise anything.[/QUOTE]

It's a pain to quote it, but I'll concede to your superior "mechanics" metaphor. Otherwise, of course Carter has no real authority to promise anything. I mean, c'mon: let's give Hamas enough credit to not be reading yellow, brittle newspapers from 1979, thinking he's still our president, right? They know he's not in any position to change one iota of American policy. But he's actually talking to both sides, unlike the official channels at the moment, and the whole "talking to both sides" thing is kind of a big part of reaching an agreement between those sides.

In a stroke of fortuitous timing for me, this hit today:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7358188.stm

What that boils down to in the end remains to be seen, of course, but Condi Rice didn't even get that much from them.
 
[quote name='trq']It's a pain to quote it, but I'll concede to your superior "mechanics" metaphor. Otherwise, of course Carter has no real authority to promise anything. I mean, c'mon: let's give Hamas enough credit to not be reading yellow, brittle newspapers from 1979, thinking he's still our president, right? They know he's not in any position to change one iota of American policy. But he's actually talking to both sides, unlike the official channels at the moment, and the whole "talking to both sides" thing is kind of a big part of reaching an agreement between those sides.

In a stroke of fortuitous timing for me, this hit today:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7358188.stm

What that boils down to in the end remains to be seen, of course, but Condi Rice didn't even get that much from them.[/quote]


I'll say this much, IF Carter succeeds I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. Anytime peace can be attained its a good thing. I don't care if a Democrat or Republican achieves it. I just think you could have Martin Luther King Jr. himself trying to bring peace to that region and it would be a difficult task.

I agree talking is a big part, but to quote Sara Bareilles, "I've learned the hard way that they tell you things you want to hear." Words without action tend to be hollow IMO.
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']I'll say this much, IF Carter succeeds I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. Anytime peace can be attained its a good thing. I don't care if a Democrat or Republican achieves it. I just think you could have Martin Luther King Jr. himself trying to bring peace to that region and it would be a difficult task.

I agree talking is a big part, but to quote Sara Bareilles, "I've learned the hard way that they tell you things you want to hear." Words without action tend to be hollow IMO.[/QUOTE]

Well, it's not a matter of "right" and "wrong," exactly -- I think this shows that what Carter is doing *is* relevant, but the guy's not going to swoop in and change the face of the Middle East all by himself. So I agree, pretty much: MLK himself would be hard pressed to do much there with the situation as-is (though I suspect that's because he'd want to talk to both sides and the US/Israel would all but label him a terrorist-sympathizer...) and we've been hearing lots of talk on both sides that have amounted to a hill of beans, over the years. And that's really why the U.S. stance on this is so tragic: we're honestly *could* leverage our power enough to make a positive difference ... but we don't. For whatever reason, it genuinely seems like we prefer the status quo.
 
I think a big part of Carter's thinking has to be that Bush has done such a horrible job with foreign relations in general and the Middle east in particular, that Carter has to try something.

I'm not harboring any illusions that he will succeed, but I'd prefer his talking to Bush's bombing or bribing view of foreign policy.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']What was so bad about Carter?

(Not arguing, just wondering).[/QUOTE]

20% inflation, OPEC oil embargo, Iran, Afghanistan (among other things)
 
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