Video: Useful idiot makes himself useful to Hamas

No surprise. He’s been making himself useful to them for years, from accusing Israel of apartheid to lying about the history of U.S. policy towards Hamas to insisting on national television……

McNamera always thought that he was smarter than anyone else…and consequently was easily duped.

landlines on April 28, 2008 at 7:04 PM

McNamara (and LBJ) were the dupers, not the dupees.

On assuming office in 1977, President Carter inherited an economy that was emerging from a recession. He had severely criticized former President Ford for his failures to control inflation and relieve unemployment, but after four years of the Carter presidency, both inflation and unemployment were considerably worse than at the time of his inauguration.

The annual inflation rate rose from 4.8% in 1976 to 11% in 1979, and hovered around 12% at the time of the 1980 election campaign.

With approximately 8 million people out of work, the unemployment rate had leveled off to a nationwide average of about 7.7% by the time of the election campaign, but it was considerably higher in some industrial states.

The prime rate hit 21.5% in December 1980, the highest rate in U.S. history under any President.[35] The high interest rates would lead to a sharp recession in the early 1980s

In July 1980, Carter received a favorable rating of only 21% in the Gallup Poll. That was the lowest rating any president, including Richard Nixon at the time of his resignation, had received since polling began in 1936.

By 1980, Carter was so unpopular that he was challenged by Ted Kennedy for the Democratic Party nomination in 1980.

I have you at a disadvantage as I have read McMaster’s book, “Dereliction of Duty. Well about half of it as of now, but LBJ, with Robert McNamara’s help, has already got Carter beat, which I know is hard to do.

MB4 on April 28, 2008 at 6:34 PM

I was there, so I don’t need the book. Robert McNamera was a JFK error: McNamera always thought that he was smarter than anyone else…and consequently was easily duped.

My assessment:

JFK, LBJ: Phonies.
Jimmy Carter: Genuinely, completely incompetent (in multiple disciplines).

I have to disagree with that post…but just barely and I could be swayed easily :-) I still think Carter was the worst in history but LBJ is close at least in my lifetime.

Oldnuke on April 28, 2008 at 5:56 PM

I have you at a disadvantage as I have read McMaster’s book, “Dereliction of Duty. Well about half of it as of now, but LBJ, with Robert McNamara’s help, has already got Carter beat, which I know is hard to do.

The insinuation I addressed is that Carter makes gross history errors. The supposed gross history error pointed out in this thread is nothing of the sort, and was an error made in a live interview. You say it is QUITE in character for Carter to make gross history errors. Show me one that is real.

I should think that meeting with Hamas is enough of a gross historical error. But I also thought that of meeting with Arafat, continuing utterly pointless “peace meetings” (when it was obvious what “peace” means to Palestinian leadership), etc, etc.

Since when is Misspeaking just shrugged off by people? I mean, people have made every little thing George W. Bush misspoke about into a federal issue, why shouldn’t it be the same for ol’ Jimmy Carter??

P.S. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought Hamas dude looked scarily like George Clooney. Whew.

Steve McCullough on April 28, 2008 at 2:40 PM

Fixed.

MB4 on April 28, 2008 at 11:41 AM

I have to disagree with that post…but just barely and I could be swayed easily :-) I still think Carter was the worst in history but LBJ is close at least in my lifetime.

Vanceone on April 28, 2008 at 11:29 AM

There is already a ship named after Jimmy Carter but not a carrier

“No, I’d probably gone anyway, because I feel it’s that important.”

What arrogance! Calling Condi a liar, yet stating he would have gone regardless.

The problem is, the comment is QUITE in character for Carter.

The insinuation I addressed is that Carter makes gross history errors. The supposed gross history error pointed out in this thread is nothing of the sort, and was an error made in a live interview. You say it is QUITE in character for Carter to make gross history errors. Show me one that is real.

If the comment were out of character for Carter, you might have a point.

The problem is, the comment is QUITE in character for Carter.

As is mendacity in general, particularly concerning Israel and Hamas.

He accidentally re-used the word “declared” because he had just used it, and this becomes the subject of a thread. Very funny.

dave742 on April 28, 2008 at 2:05 PM

So you know the use of the word “declared” was an accident, and what he really meant was “stated?”

Even if it were true, it doesn’t matter anyway. The important word was then, saying it was only after Hamas won the election that we pointed out they were a terrorist organization.

You’re not just splitting hairs: it’s the wrong hair.

In my circle I use admiration of Carter as a litmus test for who to take seriously. – JohnTant

Would you believe me if I told you that I met somebody who actually uttered these words: “Jimmy Carter was one of the best presidents we’ve ever had”? Mr. Credibility, meet Mr. Toilet.

Tony737 on April 28, 2008 at 11:35 AM

Doris Kearns Goodwin?

To be exact, I remember some reporter commenting on Jimmy Carter asking her, as the historical expert, if Jimmy Carter wasn’t about the best president we ever had. She agreed he was.

Of course, that was about 8 years ago. Think she’s changed her mind since then.

Back then, I would have said he was the best EX-president ever, on the theory that the best thing that ever happened to our country is when he became the EX-president. But after all his shenanigans these past few years, I can’t even say that any more.

I have to disagree that LBJ was worse than Jimmy Carter.

LBJ was a liberal and was dishonest, but he was still a “grown up” and could distinguish friends from enemies: a skill which Jimmy Carter never developed.

All of us are STILL paying for Jimmy Carter’s failures!!

landlines on April 28, 2008 at 1:35 PM

To maintain his predominant influence over him, McNamara sent draft memorandums to Johnson before the Joint Chiefs had an opportunity to comment.
- H.R. McMaster

- Virginia Minstrels

Carter rewrites history in this clip

Sometimes I think the entire purpose of this site is simply to misrepresent every story that comes by. Here is the quote:

“[Hamas] got a majority of seats in the Parliament and I stayed over a couple of extra days to work between Fatah, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, on the one hand, and Hamas to try and arrange a unity government, and it was all set. But then the United States and Israel declared that there wouldn’t be a Palestinian united government, so they declared that Hamas was a terrorist organization, they refused to negotiate with them, they refused to give food and water and electricity and other supplies to people under Hamas leadership in Gaza and that broke the whole situation down.”

For those on the right, the relevant quote is:
“they declared that Hamas was a terrorist organization.”

You know what? He misspoke! Immediately previous to this statement he said “the United States and Israel declared that there wouldn’t be a Palestinian united government,” and then he used the word “declared” again because he had just used it 11 words previously. Yes, he should have said this:

“they stated that Hamas was a terrorist organization.”

He accidentally re-used the word “declared” because he had just used it, and this becomes the subject of a thread. Very funny.

Why is Carter trying to negotiate with George Clooney?

Blake on April 28, 2008 at 11:45 AM

That’s hilarious…and you owe me a new keyboard from the coffee I spit all over it.

LBJ was a liberal and was dishonest, but he was still a “grown up” and could distinguish friends from enemies: a skill which Jimmy Carter never developed.

Only Jimmy Carter could create an economy so bad that all 50 states had to repeal their usury laws in order to permit commerce in an environment in which interest rates of over 20% were pervasive for home loans, business loans, auto loans, etc. and the “adjustable rate loan” had to be invented out of necesssity!!!

All of us are STILL paying for Jimmy Carter’s failures!!