I have held off on writing this post out of a general inclination to refrain from intemperate rants. I take seriously the warning that once you press that "publish" button, your thoughts are out there for all time, so words need to be measured twice before you cut them loose.
However, there are some outrages which are so egregious, some choices which are so manifestly abominable that moderation must take a back seat to catharsis. Ex-President Jimmy Carter's plan to meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Syria is one such bridge too far. And given the sheer magnitude of the misery and strife which can arguably be laid squarely at James Earl Carter's feet, this is truly saying something. From the empowerment of Soviet aggression to the rise of Islamic radicalism in Iran and the Middle East, we owe much woe to Carter's mind-numbing incompetence. His subsequent sanctimonious screeds against the Nation which we were once so horrifyingly unfortunate to have had him lead have been an on-going shame. He is both the paper cut and the lemon juice.
And now, he has taken it upon himself to ignore the strenuous objections of the State Department and of sensible humans everywhere, and to plan a meeting with the odious leader of the murderous Hamas movement. Words simply fail to encompass the sheer contumely of this decision. Quite aside from the stinging slap this trip delivers to the people of Israel (something about which Carter has never been shy), the legitimacy which a visit from a former American Commander In Chief will grant, gratis, to this blood-soaked band of brigands is wholly unacceptable and will undoubtedly constitute a colossal propaganda coup for terrorists everywhere. I can visualize very few greater setbacks in the war of ideas which is so central to our worldwide struggle against extremism.
Shame on you, Jimmy Carter. Once again, you dishonor the Nation on whose proud Presidency you constitute an eternal stain.
2 comments:
An intemperate rant that I wholeheartedly second. Carter: Worst Ex-President Ever. I hope, in vain, that the DOJ is watching his visit with an eye towards the Logan Act (yes, that's one eye on Ex-POTUS Carter, another on the Logan Act, and who's to say how many eyes they can variously cast hither or yon?).
However, when you say, "I can visualize very few greater setbacks in the war of ideas which is so central to our worldwide struggle against extremism," I was wondering if you had considered Obama's statement that he would, as the President of the United States, meet unconditionally with leaders of countries that clash with the U.S., including Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea.
This seems just the sort of situation that the Logan Act was designed to prevent/punish. Alas, however, it has proved notoriously difficult to prosecute. I expect Carter could claim that he is not negotiating so much as "just talking." While a moment's rational thought would reveal this as total balderdash, I expect the political costs of attempting to prosecute Carter under the Logan Act would be judged to exceed the benefits. Pity; Carter in an orange jumpsuit would be a marvelous sight to behold!
As for Obama...yah, that was another of the "few" greater setbacks I could imagine. In the unfortunate event that Obama does manage to get himself elected (shudder at the thought), I can only hope that someone in the foreign policy team he cobbles together, along with whatever insight might come with his greater security clearance, would disabuse him of this startlingly naive and destructive fantasy.
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