Foreign Policy Flunky

Foreign Policy Flunky

Monday morning was going to be good. My husband called from the bedroom that former President Jimmy Carter said the Bush administration was “the worst in history.” Finally, someone with cojones and political influence standing up to President Bush and his merry band of baloney-spewing bullies.

A White House spokesman deemed Carter, "increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments." I must give the Bush administration kudos for coming up with an insult better than un-American. But I think it would be hard to find someone who pays attention to the political sphere that would agree with them. I think Carter is more relevant now than when he was President. So did the Nobel Peace Prize committee.

My admiration of Jimmy Carter soared. And I was feeling better about life in general. That was before Carter had his interview on the Today show later that morning. That was before the 82 year-old Carter changed his mind so fast, it’s a wonder he didn’t snap his spine. He said he was comparing the foreign policy of President Bush with that of President Nixon. He did not intend to compare the Bush administration with U. S. administrations throughout history, on everything.

I will concede that President Bush couldn’t possibly be the worst President in the history of the United States in every arena. I’m sure he is the best at driving under the influence. The best at refusing to support stem cell research because it would take a long time before people would benefit. I’m sure he’s very good at hiring based on political affiliation. Certainly, he is the best at pretending to be a Texan.

Meredith Vieira of the Today show asked Carter if he was saying his remarks were careless and reckless. (He had used the word careless. He did not use the word reckless.) She then asked him, “Do you believe, sir, that as a former President, it’s appropriate to criticize the President, particularly during a time of war?” When a mere 6 or 7 years ago some inhabitants of the political sphere were incensed over President Clinton’s love life, it’s unbelievable that President Bush is subject to so little verbal abuse. Lying about a dalliance with a subordinate seems such a trifle compared to the diarrhea of lies that come out of Bush’s mouth.

Vieira seemed combative and talked over former President Carter a few times, culminating in a moment of awkward dead air, when he might have been wondering why they’d invited him on the talk show if they weren’t going to let him say anything. I had to glance at the annoying, ever-present logo at the lower right hand corner of the screen to be sure I was watching NBC and had not unwittingly stumbled onto FOX News. It makes me wonder what the Bush administration has on members of Congress, and on the forthright people working for the communications industry. I think it could be the threat of releasing the DC Madam’s 46 pounds of phone records. (Who knew that Vieira was a fan of happy endings?)

While I ponder why Bush has not been unceremoniously tossed out of the White House for being “the worst in history,” at least I can take solace in the fact that the media took interest in a verbal brawl that didn’t involve a bouffanted billionaire buffoon and a loudmouth comedian that gets her facts from e-mail forwards.