Carter: Globally, Bush administration 'worst in history'

[Al_Masetti]

I say your earlier point is more salient…wait to see what history says. Personally, I think he will look better a couple of decades from now. Just as people who thought Carter was great directly after his presidency later realized what a failure he was, those in the middle who have been swayed by the anti-war crowd will realize they were wrong over time.

Carter beat Ford because Ford was portrayed as making verbal and physical gaffes. And because Ford pardoned Nixon to avoid a civil war between Nixon haters and the rest of the country.

About six weeks into the Carter Administration, most Americans realized that they had made a BIG mistake. And just held their breaths until he could be voted out.

 

[jman507]

I agree it is a strange time. If 10 years ago an ex-president called a sitting president the worst ever, it would have been truly shocking - but in the current situation, not that shocking.

As someone else said, things are very complex, and call for complex thinking, diplomacy, and as many good relations as we can get. This administration just isn’t up to it.

As a wise man once said, “if your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”

In my opinion, I just have to stand back and say, what is generally true, you are neither as great as what others think, nor are you as terrible. I’ll say the administration is very poor as far as public relations, but I’d say a lot of other administrations probably didn’t fair outstanding in consideration of their complex thinking, diplomacy, and good relations. Quite possibly there was a lot of luck of the situation.

Bush’s administration really shows their weakness, because it has been pressed the most. One problem with Iraq was a lot of others were benefiting by the restrictions, and didn’t want the regime to change. I don’t think that any options on the table for Iraq and the Middle East are and were good. The status quo seemed like the US would just wait til the threat was even more dangerous. Diplomatic efforts would be sabotaged.

I would say that Bush could be characterized by acting like everything is a nail that needs to be hammered. I guess to parody Dean, he didn’t say, “Were doing Afghanistan, Iraq, then Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia ahhhh!” (Which by the way irritates me that Dean’s ‘scream’ was criticized as it was. I watched it, I thought it was fair enough, and not worth the ridicule. I didn’t care for Dean, but that seems too superficial.)

I must say too I’ll always probably be biased towards an executive, and give some sympathy. While everyone else has a chance to see how the situation unfolds, a decision maker must decide, without that benefit. While one can imagine all differnt possible paths, there is only one that plays out. One can sit back and say that could have been done better, the reality is that it is just conjecture, and it’s not possible to go back in do it again.

 

[Timothy_486]

I am surprised most the elite have been calling Bush bad, after all he’s only been doing the same things all “great” presidents have done (at least those considered great by academics): Starting wars, curtailing the constitution and individual rights, expanding the size of the government, meddling in affairs at home and abroad. Why, if anything Bush belongs right up there with Abe, Teddy, Wilson, FDR and Truman.

 

[estesbob]

Sorry

But John Q Public is fickle. It is one of the first things you learn when you work in politics. (I worked on a number of campaigns, including McGovern’s when I was younger).

I worked on the McGovern campaign and voted for Carter in 1976. but as the saying goes:

Those who are not liberal when they are young have no heart, those who are Liberal as the mature have no mind"

 

[estesbob]

I say your earlier point is more salient…wait to see what history says. Personally, I think he will look better a couple of decades from now. Just as people who thought Carter was great directly after his presidency later realized what a failure he was, those in the middle who have been swayed by the anti-war crowd will realize they were wrong over time.

The lowest approval rating for a President in modern times was for harry truman. Not many now consider him a failure. Georg Bush will be looked back upon as the President who stood against radical islam and said “no more”

 

[Thekla]

I say your earlier point is more salient…wait to see what history says. Personally, I think he will look better a couple of decades from now.

What earlier point? And I’m sure that you think that history will judge him fondly, but the idea that the anti-war crowd has put a spell on the rest of the nation is absurd. It’s not the anti-war crowd that influenced the middle, but the administration itself.

I know that they say that Mr. Bush comforts himself with the idea that history will be on his side, but it could also go the other way; people could view him as being even more disasterous to the security and foreign policy of the US than they do now.

 

[Timothy_486]

The lowest approval rating for a President in modern times was for harry truman. Not many now consider him a failure. Georg Bush will be looked back upon as the President who stood against radical islam and said “no more”

And right now I am looking at the Bush and the Clinton families being in the White House for 27 years straight and am saying “Please God no more!”

 

[system]

I worked on the McGovern campaign and voted for Carter in 1976. but as the saying goes:

Those who are not liberal when they are young have no heart, those who are Liberal as the mature have no mind"

Whose saying is that?

And what does that mean for all the young far-right republicans this country has been …ummm…“blessed with?”

 

[rlg94086]

The lowest approval rating for a President in modern times was for harry truman. Not many now consider him a failure. Georg Bush will be looked back upon as the President who stood against radical islam and said “no more”

I agree. As Gilliam said, public opinion is fickle. This is why we are a republic instead of democracy. The fact that the al Qaida and the anti-war crowd won the PR war has more to do with the president’s low rating than the reality of the situation in Iraq.

 

[estesbob]

Whose saying is that?

And what does that mean for all the young far-right republicans this country has been …ummm…“blessed with?”

I was originally told it was churchill talking about communism. however i dont believe that is true. I dont know where it came from

Two of those you mention are my kds. Raised right(pun intended)

 

[goofyjim]

As for Habitat for Humanity. As long as Carter is associated with it, it is off my list.

Habitat for Humanity is doing wonders for building homes for those who can’t afford them otherwise. I don’t feel it should be written off just because Carter is associated with it.

 

[Timothy_486]

As for Habitat for Humanity. As long as Carter is associated with it, it is off my list.

I also hear Carter is associated with the human race, Christianit, and a country called the USA, wanna write those off also?

 

[jman507]

What earlier point? And I’m sure that you think that history will judge him fondly, but the idea that the anti-war crowd has put a spell on the rest of the nation is absurd. It’s not the anti-war crowd that influenced the middle, but the administration itself.

I know that they say that Mr. Bush comforts himself with the idea that history will be on his side, but it could also go the other way; people could view him as being even more disasterous to the security and foreign policy of the US than they do now.

Could yes, but I think the general trend usually is to forget, and fret about the current administration, even if what is written isn’t so good. Given the saturation of the media, I don’t think there will be a reversing of the trend to care about current events than history.

“Remember the Maine!” doesn’t quite pull the heartstrings as it once did. Hoover was quite disdained, but he seems very much like a moot point right now. Who really goes down in history as being terrible? N. Chamberlain, Hitler, Benedict Arnold. If it’s worth being remembered I think there must fairly quickly be a war with nuclear bombs going off.

Granted now, I’ll think you might think Bush’s administration is the worst. From you point-of-view, I can see it, and think it’s a fully justifiable opinion. I must say while I disagree, I have more respect for your opinion than a lot of other “John Q. Publics,” who Gilliam calls fickel. I agree with his assessment. A lot of people in general, won’t spend a lot of time to investigate history to come up with a proper assessment, and keep a bias towards current events.

 

[pieta05]

Nah, he is just saying that in the hopes of moving up to second worst.

Coming from Carter, that isn’t saying much.

 

[Lance]

Carter should stick to something he knows about. The only thing I can come up with is building houses for the poor. I did not like him when he was president and I don’t like him now.

 

[Robert_Bay]

Thread Closed

President Carter has retracted his words.

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