Jimmy Carter has yet another anti-Israel op-ed in the New York Times, where he utterly whitewashes Palestinian intransigence, blames Benjamin Netanyahu for refusing to help create a Palestinian state, insists that the settlements are the heart of the problem, calls Israel an apartheid state yet again, and even manages to slam a comatose Ariel Sharon.
But there is a perfect example of Jimmy Carter’s irrelevance and impotence on the world stage. Let’s go back to 1994, when Bill Clinton stupidly enlisted Carter to help stop North Korea from becoming a nuclear power.
In 1994, North Korea had expelled investigators from the International Atomic Energy Agency and was threatening to begin processing spent nuclear fuel. In response, then-President Clinton pressured for US sanctions and ordered large amounts of troops and vehicles into the area to brace for war.
Bill Clinton secretly recruited Carter to undertake a peace mission to North Korea,[73] under the guise that it was a private mission of Carter’s. Clinton saw Carter as a way to let North Korean President Kim Il-sung back down without losing face.[74]
Carter negotiated an understanding with Kim Il-sung, but went further and outlined a treaty, which he announced on CNN without the permission of the Clinton White House as a way to force the US into action. The Clinton Administration signed a later version of the Agreed Framework, under which North Korea agreed to freeze and ultimately dismantle its current nuclear program and comply with its nonproliferation obligations in exchange for oil deliveries, the construction of two light water reactors to replace its graphite reactors, and discussions for eventual diplomatic relations.
So how’d that work out for us? Well, Korea is a nuclear power. It has conducted nuclear testing in violation of all agreements made, and just yesterday, launched a missile that was capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. The launch failed.
It’s a perfect example of Carter’s impotence and irrelevance. On the very day Carter’s op-ed went to press, North Korea showed the world what it thinks of agreements brought about by Jimmy Carter.
North Korea launches missiles with impunity, breaks the peace, threatens Japan and South Korea, murders South Koreans, violates international agreements and UN Security Council resolutions, subjugates and starves its own people. But what problem is more important, in Jimmy Carter’s eyes? The Palestinians. What nation is worse then North Korea? Israel.
Israel Derangement Syndrome and Israeli Double Standard Time, all nicely tied into one op-ed.
I’ve posted this before but it is appropriate to repeat it here. I saw Carter being interviewed by Bill Moyers and after the usual anti-Israel crapola he began to refer sarcastically to Jews as the “Chosen People”, his voice and expression just dripping with venom, contempt and hatred. Carter is a fanatic, incorrigible antisemite who hates Jews down to the marrow of his bones.
Jimmy Carter needs a new job to keep him out of trouble. But, as you note, with his record of failure, what is he qualified for?
I know, Secretary General!
One last Carter story. A few years ago, he asked for a meeting with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, apparently in an attempt to dispel the impression people had *somehow* gotten that he is an antisemite. Now there are two things I figure about most of these people (i. e. PMAJO) 1) they almost always speak very diplomatically, especially to a former POTUS and 2) probably the overwhelming majority of them are Democrats.
Not only did they reject Carter, but they responded by saying “We don’t want to be used.” Wow! From them, that is essentially saying “F*ck you Carter and the horse you rode in on” with both middle fingers upraised.