Jimmy Carter is an embarrassment.  And not just because he criticizes President Bush, but because the has the temerity to criticize President Bush’s middle eastern policies despite his own legacy in the middle east being a disaster.

After all, what’s Jimmy Carter remembered most for?  Negotiating with terrorist Yasser Arafat over the Palestinian/Israeli conflict?  Yeah, he sure solved that problem.

How about the Iranian hostage situation?  Totally and hopelessly bungled by Carter.

Even Carter’s domestic policies were a joke.  In response rising energy prices Carter imposed a “windfall profits tax” (favored by economically illiterate politicians like Byron Dorgan today) which did nothing except a) make gasoline produced domestically more expensive and thus b) created more demand (8 - 16% more) for foreign fuel.  In fact, much (though by no means all) of this nation’s present troubles with dependence on foreign oil can be traced to Carter’s decision to tax domestically produced oil.

But Bush is the worst President in the world, I guess.  Forget that his economic track record is stellar compared to Carter’s, and his middle eastern policies have accomplished far more than Carter’s ever did.

I don’t think Bush has been a particularly great President, but I’d take him over Jimmy Carter every single day of the week.