Is Former President Carter Really This Clueless?

There must be something in the water that is served in the office of the President and Vice President when there is a Democrat administration in the White House.  The refreshing liquid is laced by a slow acting substance that begins to kill brain cells once the incumbents leave office.  Unknown to the thirsty officials, the drug eats away at what little common sense remains after their tour of duty at the helm of the United States Government.

This drug has it's most pronounced effect as age progresses, evidenced by the inane ramblings of former President Carter regarding what the United States strategery should be in dealing with Hamas. 

While former President Clinton and Vice President Gore travel the world denouncing the United States and President Bush, former President Carter sees no need to adhere to the "60 mile rule" when hammering the President.  In fact, I think Jimmy was just outside 6 feet and in plain view of the siting (literally) President at Mrs. King's funeral.  That he didn't smack Carter upside the back of his head shows great fortitude and control on the part of Mr. Bush.  President Bush's dignity at events like this makes me proud to support him. 

Clueless Jimmy's latest prescription of appeasement involves the continued funding of the Palestinians after the election of Hamas to the majority of seats in Parliament.  Writing in today's Washington Post, Carter says-

During this time of fluidity in the formation of the new government, it is important that Israel and the United States play positive roles. Any tacit or formal collusion between the two powers to disrupt the process by punishing the Palestinian people could be counterproductive and have devastating consequences.

Where to start.  So the US and Israel should not collude to disrupt the formation of a government in Israel's closest neighbor whose stated position is that the state of Israel does not have the right to exist, and who launches suicide bombers and rockets into Israel whenever possible?

Mr. Carter thinks that the withholding of funds from the Palestinians by the US and Israel will-

...alienate the already oppressed and innocent Palestinians, to incite violence, and to increase the domestic influence and international esteem of Hamas. It will certainly not be an inducement to Hamas or other militants to moderate their policies.

So, Mr. Carter suggests the US and Israel should continue to support the elected government of the Palestinians even though that government's ruling party has declared death to Israel.  I wonder why Mr. Carter thinks doing the same thing that we have been doing since the Oslo accord will result in a different behavior on the part of the Palestinians?  He even suggests that we should use the "United Nations and private agencies" to support the Palestinian people directly.  Yea, that worked out real well for the people of Iraq, didn't it? 

Since the Oslo accord there hasn't been much in the way of peace, except when Israel has taken unilateral steps to ensure it's security.  And during this time, most of the Western support funneled to the "Palestinians" went instead to one Palestinian, who is now worm food, and his cronies.

There's something I seem to remember about the definition of insanity in here somewhere.

The title of Mr. Carter's piece is "Don't Punish the Palestinians."  Why not?  The Palestinians have made their choice.  They have had ample opportunities for peace and success, significant financial support from the west, and a liberal democratic partner who wants a peaceful solution.  Their response to these events over the past 10 years has been a continued intifada, a squandering of resources, the support of an autocratic regime, and, now, the election of a terrorist group as the ruling party for their government. 

President Bush is getting hammered by the left for his ambitious advocacy of freedom and democracy in the Middle East, but a successful Democracy requires much more than just holding an election every now and then.  The recent Palestinian election could hardly be called free.  I would think if a candidate stood up and declared his platform to be joint peace and prosperity with Israel, not only would he have lost the election, he most likely would have lost his life to the AK-47 toting terrorists of Hamas.

So clueless Jimmy thinks we should just ignore the bombers and keep the money rolling.  Turn the other cheek and take another sucker punch from the bad guys.  Surely, they will come around to our way of thinking, if we just keep making nice.  Haven't we seen this movie staring the ex-president before?  I was young then, but I think it was in the late 70's.  And didn't it also star Hamas's big brother?

The Palestinians have made their choice.  Now it's time for the rest of the world to make theirs.

Jimmy should go home to the peanut farm with his Nobel prize and shut up. 

We've had enough of his strategery of appeasement for the past 30 years. 

Copyright ©  2006 Robert McNickle, all rights reserved.

LATER:

For additional thoughts on clueless Jimmy, check out Captain Ed, Betsy Newmark, and Ankle Biting Pundits.  Hat tip from Michelle Malkin. 

LATER 2 (February 20, 2006 11:01p ET):  Also, check out James S. Robbins on NRO today.  Robbins says that cutting off Hamas makes sense. 

And don't miss Scott Johnson's take on Powerline.  Scott's moniker for clueless Jimmy is "the terrorists' useful idiot."

Comments

[america]

Clueless? What do you call a man who writes a book called, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid", Considering his regime, as idiots call presidencies these days, did nothing to stop apartheid?

The UN was imposing sanctions while millions of people died and were deprived of basic human rights, Carter did nothing and the whole world just forgets that. His own administration failed at everything it tried. He gets to trot around criticizing other administrations? Come on already. There is still stuff unfolding from his mistakes to this day. North Korea! Iran! He put the world in harm's way. The world, not the troops, the whole world. He wins the Piece Prize? He's probably Satan's son and the book of Revelations is unfolding right in front of our eyes. I don't mean to sound like a nut, pardon the expression, no pun intended, it just isn't registering why this goof-ball gets away with this crap.