Thursday, January 11, 2007
Jimmy Carter's legacy
Jimmy Carter's credibility, such as it was, is dying from self-inflicted wounds. The proof, though, will come in the summer of 2008. Will the Democrats give Jimmy Carter the same prominence in their nominating convention that they gave him in 2004? Somehow, I doubt it.
4 Comments:
By 
D.E. Cloutier, at
Thu Jan 11, 04:44:00 PM:
Carter should open a barroom where he offers free peanuts. He could call the place "Allahu Ak Bar."
By 
, at
Thu Jan 11, 06:47:00 PM:
I don't see that carter's position ,nor that of the dems has chamged any that would preclude him from once again holding a position of prominence at the 2008 nominating convention. How many dems have expressed opposition to the position he stakes out in his book ?
By Escort81, at
Thu Jan 11, 06:51:00 PM:
What's interesting about the resignations is less that it has no effect on the Carter Center (14 members out of a 200 member advisory council), but that the people who resigned were presumably, at one point in time, interested in being somehow affiliated with President Carter, and that it's likely that the resigning members were Democrats, and many of them may have been Jewish as well (but not "neocon"). American Jews are obviously important to the Democratic base, but many (who are otherwise critical of Likud policies in Israel, and favored the Oslo accords and the Road Map) may be willing to accept only so much rhetoric that in their view mischaracterizes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. What does this say to the current leadership of the Democratic party in terms of how far they can go in alienating part of their base? Maybe that's not an important question until after there is a Democrat in the White House.
There are lots of liberal Democrats who are Jews who are also strongly pro-Israel; the controversy surrounding Carter's book represents the beginning of a possible schism between the (relatively small) wing of the party that is more sympathetic to the Palestinians and an important segment of the traditional base of of the party.
By John, at
Sat Jan 13, 09:35:00 AM:
You're assuming that Democrats (or Republicans) learn from their mistakes.
