Christopher Hitchens Savages, Jimmy Carter

Christopher Hitchens in Slate.com absolutely savages Jimmy Carter.

Leave aside the sophomoric slackness that begins a broken-backed sentence with the words "as far as" and then cannot complete itself. "Worst in history," as the great statesman from Georgia has to know, has been the title for which he has himself been actively contending since 1976. I once had quite an argument with the late Sen. Eugene McCarthy, who maintained adamantly that it had been right for him to vote for Ronald Reagan in 1980 for no other reason. "Mr. Carter," he said, "quite simply abdicated the whole responsibility of the presidency while in office. He left the nation at the mercy of its enemies at home and abroad. He was the worst president we ever had."

It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that every administration since has had to deal with the chaotic legacy of Carter’s mind-boggling cowardice and incompetence.

It's hard for me to add anything beyond thinking that Mr. Hitchens is right on the damn money. 90% of the problems we've had in the past 35 years stem from Mr. Carter's presidency.

With the advent of the Carter Doctrine (wherein one country seizing another country's embassy is NOT to be considered an act of war), Mr. Carter showed only that the United States would not declare war if any other country took over, or countenanced the destruction of an American embassy. His failure to act decisively to the Islamic Republic of Iran seizure of ambassador, showed those who oppose US interests that America would in no way respond in any substantive way to any provocation. This has led to decades of terrorist attacks against Americans, and American interests not just in the region, but around the world.

By not showing a firm resolve Mr. Carter is resonsible for thousands of American deaths. Iran, through it's tools Hezbollah and Hamas, has been waging war against American since its inception. This is Mr. Carter's true legacy. Now Iran has, accourding to the IAEA, achieved the ability to produce a nuclear weapon, they have only to develop a missile capable of carrying a weapon.