“I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man,” Jimmy Carter said in 2009:
“I live in the South, and I’ve seen the South come a long way, and I’ve seen the rest of the country that share the South’s attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African Americans.”*
Carter continued, “And that racism inclination still exists. And I think it’s bubbled up to the surface because of the belief among many white people, not just in the South but around the country, that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country. It’s an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply.”
I agree. Which is why it grieves and concerns me deeply to read about nefarious rightwing neocon death beast Rethuglican Tea Party Koch-heads uttering such clearly racist filth as this today: “Jimmy Carter: Obama has really bungled America’s foreign policy:”
“First of all, we waited too long. We let the Islamic state build up its money, capability and strength and weapons while it was still in Syria,” he said. “Then when [ISIS] moved into Iraq, the Sunni Muslims didn’t object to their being there and about a third of the territory in Iraq was abandoned.”
Carter sees some hope for the current American policy against ISIS in Iraq where troops on the ground will follow up after air strikes.
“If we keep on working in Iraq and have some ground troops to follow up when we do our bombing, there is a possibility of success.”
…
“You have to have somebody on the ground to direct our missiles and to be sure you have the right target,” Carter said. “Then you have to have somebody to move in and be willing to fight ISIS after the strikes.”
Gee, if only the infamously dovish Carter had taken his own advice in 1979, his presidential reputation might not be 20,000 leagues under the sea right now.
As John Hinderaker writes at Power Line, “When you’ve lost Jimmy ‘Boots on the Ground’ Carter, whom haven’t you lost? That’s got to be a short list.” But who on the left will be next to unleash his inner Curtis LeMay?
Waiting for Dennis Kucinich: “Obama should bomb ISIS to Hell” RT @BrettLoGiurato: Oh man. http://t.co/woNsfN7KGt pic.twitter.com/eeBMUiB70R
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) October 8, 2014
* No thanks to Carter himself, of course.
Related: Austin Bay puts Obama into historical perspective.
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