You can go back to his Presidency and take from it what you want.Be it positive or negative.But to disregard the credentials he has built up since he left office and to disregard what he is saying is absurd.To say that the dictator in Iran the Shah was going to remain in power forever is ridiculous.If we had not overthrown the elected government of Iran in the 50s our relationship with them would not be what it is today.Had we all put on a sweater 30 years ago we might not be involved in the petrowars of today.It is the duty of prominent Americans to speak out on the issues of the day.Not to do so would be treasonous.Colin Powell did not speak out are we the better for it.All that has to happen for evil to succeed is good people to sit around and do nothing.

Leefeller,

I had a flight instructor who was a guest of the Vietnamese government for several years.  I also happen to have a security clearance.

I did not compare torture to the Hilton.  I implied that anything less than Hilton-like treatment is considered torture by most liberals.

Hurray for President Carter for forthrightly standing up to the Bush administration against torture and for human rights. President Carter seems to be the only Democrat who has the courage of his principles and convictions. Democrats in Congress are such a wimpy lot when it comes to challenging the vicious right wing in this country.

Put him on the SLOW BOAT TO CHINA.  Thats where he belongs.  And, take his hammer with him.

Carter was the most incompetent present of the United States. Who cares what he has to say . . . he IS incompetent. As we struggle to know our domestic enemies. No, matter your political party affiliation, and setting aside your thoughts on issues.  We all need to remember what it is to be an American Citizen.  We need to make sure our elected representatives obey their Oath of Office and keep their Oath of Allegiance. See http://tinyurl.com/2znnvl Know whom you are voting for.

President Carter is leading by example and demonstrating it is time for people to firmly stand up for what is right.  The fact the majority of people on the left use rational thinking with an open minded approach to addressing problems, has permitted some of the adverse situtations we now face in our country, to manifest.  That is because the majority on the right, especially those who are now in our government, refuse to open their minds and even consider other solutions, but rather choose to engage in thought control bullying and the use of labels and intimidation, to get their way.  The rational mind is always looking for reasonable solutions and therefore is operating from a belief that others are doing the same.  It is time to realize that not only must those on the left continue to think and operate from a rational mode, but also must be much more persistant in seeing that rational thinking and the common good prevails over the mind control bullying and greed. Bottom line, you can be too nice when dealing with some people, and Mr. Carter has come to realize what many more must also come to realize.  His core values of being a good and decent human are unchanged, but what he is saying by example, it is past time to expect some in our government to do the right thing, but rather it is time to firmly demand it.

Pres. Carter was so ineffectual while in office specifically because he was to ethical a human being to operate in the slime pit of Washington, and was the only President of the 20th Century to resist towing the line of Big Oil.  The civil and military beaurocracy were determined to destroy him from his first day in office.  The military sabatoged the rescue attempt, but if you bothered to find out the truth, Reagan only accomplished the release so quickly through a scam set up by Carter, where Reagan signed an agreement with Iran before he was sworn in, which was then declared illegal after the hostages were released.

When the morons in the CIA replaced the last Democratically elected secular gov’t in the middle east with their doomed puppet, Shah Pavlavi, they began the whole spiral that will probably end with fundamentalist in power over the whole region, and ultimately, a world war between Islam and the West.

The idiot in the White House is hoping to get that started before he leaves office.

Ignorance:  Knowing that Carter was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a founding member (at the invitation of David Rockefeller) of the Trilateral Commission; this, by the way, only 3 years prior to his election which was heavily backed by Rockefeller.  Or maybe ignorance is not buying into your belief that the Bilderbergers were responsible for the Iran hostage situation; because we all know that Carter was not a Bilderberger - he even refused their invitation (can you say plausible deniability?).  He didn’t need to be a card carrying member since his good buddy David Rockefeller was a member, and one of his senior advisors, Hedley Donovan, was a regular guest of the Bilderbergers.

How is that for a touch of reality?

In regards to torture purplewolf said, “It is a known fact that people who are tortured reveal almost nothing of any value to their captors”.  Stating something is a “known fact” and then citing two studies is a ridiculous.  Give me some funding for a study and I’ll find an “expert” who will provide any conclusion you want.  Instead of some study, why don’t you ask people who have actually experienced torture?  Have you ever done this?  I have. Torture works.  There is a reason that the U.S. Government spends millions on training its military members on coping with torture.  That said, I don’t condone torture; although I assume that we have a different definition of torture.  I, for example, do not believe that torture includes depriving a person of the inalienable liberal rights of silk sheets, gourmet meals, and cable TV.  When, in your retort, you make a long list of abuses, please also provide your sources.

Finally, if you are going to call me ignorant, uneducated, or out of touch, at least do so without spelling errors.

Thank you President Carter.  We need more Americans, prominent and otherwise speaking up against this illegal war and occupation and against recalcitrant candidates fearful of offending the wackos on the extreme right.  I for one have no intention of voting for any candidate that refuses to end the war immediately.

Don’t all former presidents have security clearance to classified information?

Jimmy should run again.  I would rather see him as President as any of the one’s that are running now.

IT DEPENDS ON WHAT “IS” IS!

Former president Carter is right on - but he is relying on old fashioned definitions that this administration has rejected! Geneva convention? International law?  What do these mean anymore? Truth is defined by this administration, not by anything else. Forget your dictionaries!

Dictionaries must redefine torture.This administation plays word games with words. After deliberate misuse (torture) of words a few times, the new “meanings” suddenly become standardized in the minds of friends and foes alike!

According to Bush “we do not torture.” That’s right. We contract with private torturing companies to torture!  For large fees of course.

In spite of professional interrogators who agree that one never learns anything new from torture - it just doesn’t work - intellecutally challenged cronies of Bush and many journalists still think it is the only way to save us from another 9/11 or similar catastrophes that may or may not be imagined by white house press agents, include Fox Noise.

How about competent planning? How about competent intelligence? How about an administration that knows how to do both?

Well, that clearly doesn’t include this administration.

the most sensible ex-president the US has seen in 50 years. a decent man.
i’m glad he’s speaking out on this and speaking out more often.

dasm said:

“Show me anywhere where they actually improved my life.”

You are looking for government to improve your life?  Don’t hold your breath waiting for that one.  That’s not the purpose of government.  The sole purpose of government is to protect inalienable rights; it’s your job to improve your life.

At least that was the opinion of a bunch of guys with some crazy revolutionary idea back in the 1770’s and 1780’s.

We’re taking foreign policy advice from a man who, in 443 days, could not negotiate the release of 66 U.S. hostages?  Reagan had it taken care of before lunch on his first day in office.

Additionally, Mr. Carter claims that he does not “think” that the U.S. is torturing hostages, but that he “knows”.  I’m wondering what his source is; the only way to absolutely know would be to get the information from someone with a Top Secret security clearance.  Since Carter lost his clearance over 20 years ago, his “source” should be in jail.

If the U.S. had continued progress with his susttainable energy plans, we would not be in the pickle we are in with foreign oil today. Big Oil (i.e. Reagan and the Republicans) then took over and scuttled it.
Another good job well screwed up by a republican president and his lackey congress.

Jim M.

I know Carter is umpty-umpteen years old, but he really needs to be hoss-whipped in the public square.  He was an embarrassment as our president many moons ago, and it appears that he’s just trying to out-embarrass his former self.

President Jimmy Carter is probably one of the very few Americans who is willing to tell the TRUTH about anything!! He is driven by his heart and soul and is the REAL thing when it comes to being an American…I trust him and his judgement. He knows a lot and is willing to tell it how it really is!!

Oh, please—the Clintons??  The Clintons are totally honest in comparison with any Repub.  Try the Repubs.  They can’t get honest about anything.  ANYTHING!! Delve into their past, even recent, & you’ll see—Repubs are dishonest, sexually confused, anti-Constitution apes.  Show me anywhere where they actually improved my life.  Anywhere.  Bunch of boobs.

Jimmy Carter is a:  “Wasn’t” and “Won’t be” “Wanna-be”..... Like all dummies, his mouth will go up and down, he will flip-flop from side to side…..and will mimic any liberal ‘cause’ to gain attention….Build a Stage and he will come.

the Clintons are not the ones lying about human rights violations and torture,  the Bushes are.

“Jimmy Carter is the good American”
Yeah…right.  Carter is the spineless jerk who let the radical Islamists take over Iran and become a state sponsor of terrorism (they actually referred to him as a headless chicken).  He also approved laws that tied the hands of US intelligence agencies.  He allowed this mess to get rolling 30 years ago!  So he got Israel and Egypt to sign a peace treaty.  But only for billions US bribes..er.. aid in return.  He seems to be more comfortable around dictators, so maybe he should move to Cuba, N Korea, or Venezuela.  Maybe they’ll let him swing a hammer building houses.  That’s the only thing he’s been good at.

Now if only he can STAY En Fuego and push Al Gore into the equation we might actually get some where. I used to shake my head at the way Republicans wanted to drag us back into the 1950’s. We definitely can’t go forward now until we do some serious repairs to what America stands for. And what it stands against.

Don’t expect this honesty coming from the Clintons.