Jimmy Carter: "When I go to a dictatorship, I only have to talk to one person and that's the dictator, because he speaks for all the people."

[GaryC 7]

[eekee 182]

Nixon could have gone to speak with Iran, but he had to resign. Poor Nixon.

I don't think jimmy carter was a great president, but i think he's a good ex-president.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Carter has done a whole heck of a lot more for the promotion of world peace than the yahoo his critics currently support. And that's a fact.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

"In a democracy, I realize you don't need to talk to the top leader to know how the country feels," he said over the weekend, responding to a question from an Israeli journalist who noted that Mr. Carter had been snubbed by most of Israel's top leadership and reprimanded by its president, Shimon Peres. "When I go to a dictatorship, I only have to talk to one person and that's the dictator, because he speaks for all the people."

What's the controversy in the above statement? I don't see it.

Wow. I never thought you would say that out loud.

[Ban Hammer 13,340]

Carter has done a whole heck of a lot more for the promotion of world peace than the yahoo his critics currently support. And that's a fact.

yes, that's a fact

[Dan J 277]

Carter has done a whole heck of a lot more for the promotion of world peace than the yahoo his critics currently support. And that's a fact.

yes, that's a fact

Of course, its conviently missing all the details of what conservative presidents have done in respect to Iran, like selling weapons.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Carter has done a whole heck of a lot more for the promotion of world peace than the yahoo his critics currently support. And that's a fact.

yes, that's a fact

Let me make it real simple for you:

1) Carter did not run this country into an illegal war that claimed tens of thousands of innocent lives and destroyed hundreds of thousands more.

2) George W Bush will never be a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

The latter may not mean much in Rush's little bubble but in the real world, it counts for something.

[eekee 182]

Let's see... Ronald Reagan sold the weapons that made the Taliban possible. and ever heard of Iran-Contra????????

[cmartyn 0]

Yeah but we kept that gun factory open. Ya gotta love that.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Carter has dedicated his entire life to peace and the peace process and even created a foundation for peace. If his 82 yr old rear end wants to go have talks with Hamas then let him; someones got to do it. However I do not agree that the dictator speaks for all the people but rather controls all the people with the carrot and the stick approach.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

"In a democracy, I realize you don't need to talk to the top leader to know how the country feels," he said over the weekend, responding to a question from an Israeli journalist who noted that Mr. Carter had been snubbed by most of Israel's top leadership and reprimanded by its president, Shimon Peres. "When I go to a dictatorship, I only have to talk to one person and that's the dictator, because he speaks for all the people."

What's the controversy in the above statement? I don't see it.

A dictator speaks for all the people? Hardly. He may have power over all the people but he does not speak for all of them.

Carter has lost his mind.

Well I certainly agree that the comment isn't phrased very well - but I can see the point he's making. What he's getting at is that if you talk to people living in a dictatorship country you get a smaller range of individual opinion than you do when you talk to people in a democracy. From a diplomat's point of view that makes at least some kind of sense - most of the time they're presented with some sort of official government spokesperson, rather than a member of the general public. Even if you do get to talk to the rank and file - those people are usually coached. Either way - you're going to get the central message of the administration.

It doesn't mean that the people in those countries are mindless drones - though obviously there is an element of that which goes on (and lets face it - there's no shortage of criticism of the "Death to America" folks in Iran), but that the restrictions of free speech as well as government controlled media restrict what people can actually say without fear of reprisal.

I don't think its half as outrageous as its being made out - certainly nothing that couldn't be clarified before jumping to kneejerk conclusions.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

"In a democracy, I realize you don't need to talk to the top leader to know how the country feels," he said over the weekend, responding to a question from an Israeli journalist who noted that Mr. Carter had been snubbed by most of Israel's top leadership and reprimanded by its president, Shimon Peres. "When I go to a dictatorship, I only have to talk to one person and that's the dictator, because he speaks for all the people."

What's the controversy in the above statement? I don't see it.

A dictator speaks for all the people? Hardly. He may have power over all the people but he does not speak for all of them.

Carter has lost his mind.

Well I certainly agree that the comment isn't phrased very well - but I can see the point he's making.

That's because you want to see the point he's making. Makes all the difference sometimes.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

It's nothing but Carter bashing nonsense. The people who hate will continue hate him and nothing Carter can do or say is going to change their minds. It's funny how the same people here complain about bashing Bush are the same ones who repeatedly bash ex presidents they don't like. Slice and dice his words to get whatever interpretation you want out of it, Carter is no nut....he's a great man and one hell of better former president than Dubbya Dumbass will ever be.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I'm willing to believe that Carter has some strange opinions, but that he would make a comment along the lines of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - that's just crazy.

[eekee 182]

let's see what happens if you throw in some reagan-bashing into the mix...