One of the bad things about living in Atlanta is that the local newspaper, the Atlanta Urinal and Constipation loves Jimmah Carter. The lovefest when he won the Nobel Appeasement Prize was disgusting. And of course, everytime he opens his mouth, the paper dutifully publishes his bullshit. In Saturday's paper, they published excerpts from an interview with him.
Before I get to that here is one of the letters to the editor in today's AJC:
When President Carter was struggling to handle the Iranian hostage crisis, former Presidents Nixon and Ford had the grace and dignity to stay out of foreign affairs. Carter's interference in these matters hurts our president, our troops and our nation.
I used to admire Carter as a great humanitarian. Now he is friends with some of the most evil dictators in our world. Why isn't he speaking up about the mistreatment of the Iraqi people? I want to hear Carter speak out, not for the dictators, but for the oppressed.
TRACEY DAVENPORT
Exactly! And when Bill Clinton was president, we didn't hear Bush senior criticizing his foreign policy. But Bill Clinton and Jimmah Carter will not have the class and dignity to shut the fuck up! Jimmah talking about foreign policy is like Ted Kennedy talking about safe driving.
On to the interview.
Q: The planned summit on Sunday has given you hope that a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis can still be achieved. Why?
A: It does give me hope. So does the fact that Hans Blix will make a statement of requirements Monday or Tuesday. And then there also are the news reports indicating the French may be flexible on a deadline. All of these things put together show that a peaceful solution is possible.
GOC: Is Jimmah clueless or what? Hans Blix? This asshole couldn't find his ass with his hands. And he's not been completely forthcoming with his reports. He's another one of the 'peace at any cost' dipshits. And the 'French may be flexible on a deadline'? Jimmah, did you just wake up? The French have said they'd veto any resolution authorizing the use of force. What good would a deadline do?
Q: Do you think the three leaders can come up with a resolution they can sell to the Security Council?
A: I think so. If Blix's list of requirements is quite compatible with those that the British have put forward, then that would resolve one aspect of the issue, that aspect being the resolution's language.
GOC: Wrong again Jimmah. It looks like when Bush said March 17 last week he really meant it. How refreshing to hear a president give a deadline and really mean it.
Q: Would the major sticking point then be the deadline given to Iraq to comply?
A: I think President Bush, contrary to his own statements, has been willing to be remarkably flexible in dealing with the ideas put forth by the British. [Britain has expressed a willingness to extend the March 17 deadline originally proposed for Iraqi compliance.] I've been encouraged in recent days by America's willingness to accommodate the needs that have been made clear regarding the prime minister's challenges in Great Britain.
GOC: Whoops Jimmah! Bush is not a wuss like you and Clinton. He said deadline and he meant it. The time for talk is over.
Q: Do you feel President Bush --- having ordered 250,000 troops to the region --- has backed himself into something of a corner so that force will have to be used?
A: The overall progress that's been made has been predicated on the fact that the massive troops are there. If their presence can accomplish all the goals of Resolution 1441, then without massive loss of life our ambitions and goals will have been achieved. I think the troops have been crucial. We wouldn't have made any substantial progress without the troops being there.
GOC: Duh! But if Jimmah had been president, the troops would not even be there.
Q: Has it surprised you that it's been so difficult to persuade the six undecided council members to support the U.S. position?
A: There's no doubt that France has used its maximum influence in Africa among the countries there. The French have had long and historic relationships with these countries. There's no doubt that when these countries need political support or financial support they feel much more inclined to go to Paris than to go to Washington. This has given France surprising influence --- surprising to Americans, that is.
GOC: So, when those countries come to us begging for money, I hope we tell 'em to go to France.
Q: The French have said they will not support any resolution that issues an ultimatum. What kind of resolution might they support?
A: If the requirements and the date can evolve through close contact with Blix, then that will remove the stigma of it being an ultimatum. But it would accomplish the same purpose. It's important that the U.N. has called on Blix to make this statement, and I understand that that will be done Monday or
Tuesday.
GOC: Jimmah's clue meter is still pegged at zero. The French will never support military action. So I say, fuck the French!
Q: How would you rate President Bush's handling of the Iraq crisis?
A: I think that if the prospects in my statement are accomplished, I would consider this a notable diplomatic victory. It would be a victory for us, for the United Nations and for the world.
GOC: GMAFB! There will be no diplomatic victory. There will, however, be a miltary victory.
Q: So you don't believe critics who say President Bush plans to go to war no matter what happens at the U.N.?
A: If that had been true, then we would have gone to war long before this, in my opinion. President Bush has repeatedly said, including at his press conference last week, that he was hoping and praying for a peaceful solution.
GOC: But every day we keep the troops over there, the more it costs us. And the weather will just get worse. Saddam will have more time to prepare. I think Bush realizes that with France as our de facto enemy, there is no diplomatic solution.
It's time to 'Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war'.
(And, Babs, that's Mark Antony after Caesar's death from the play Julius Caesar. You can look it up. I did.)
And, Captain Steve's latest From the Sandbox over at Kim du Toit is a nice fisk of a Kofi Anon speech. Good job, Captain Steve!