Bush and Carter - A Study in Contrasts

While the world’s, and the nation’s, attention is focused for the moment on the exhilarating events occurring in the Middle East, a less encouraging trend is emerging in Latin America. The trendline in one region is pointing toward the promise of democracy among peoples long accustomed to autocratic dictatorships; the trendline in the other is away from democracy and toward a return to one-party rule, socialsim, and dictatorship.

We know which President has played the crucial role in the heady events transpiring in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt – the much-maligned George W. Bush. And we know which (ex) President has played a crucial role in the ominous but clear trend in the wrong direction – Michael Moore’s convention-watching buddy himself, failed President and increasingly disastrous ex-President, Jimmy Carter.

One is a force for the spread of democracy throughout the world; the other an apologist and enabler of dictators and anti-democrats like Fidel Castro, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il – and now, most recently, Hugo Chavez.

You’ll recall not so long ago, when the erstwhile Venezuelan republic underwent a recall election in response to the increasingly unpopular policies of Chavez. Exit polls showed an overwhelming rejection of Chavez – 58% to remove him, only 41% opting to retain him. Yet the final “count” showed the opposite – 58% retain, 41% remove! Despite overwhelming evidence indicating massive voting irregularities, the same man who disparaged voting processes in America proceeded to “validate” the Venezuelan results without indicating even a hint of concern about the widespread irregularities.

Now, the ripple effects of Carter’s legitimizing an illegitimate election are coming home to roost. His power consolidated, his until-recently influential opposition subdued, newly-energized autocrat Chavez has dropped any charade of appearing to back economic freedom in Venezuela, and has publicly proclaimed that his aim now is to make Venezuela a socialist state. So there we have it – a one-party, socialist state in the making. With a huge assist from our very own Mr. lets-give-North-Korea-“peaceful”-nuclear-capability Nobel Peace Prize winner himself, Jimmy Carter.

Assuming the worst and overlooking the best about America. Assuming the best and overlooking the worst about autocratic undemocratic despots. That’s Jimmy Carter, in a (pea)nut shell.