White House spokesman slams Carter

In response to Jimmy Carter's comments yesterday, in which he called this Administration the worst in history, the White House fired back:

"I think it's sad that President Carter's reckless personalcriticism is out there," White House spokesman Tony Fratto respondedSunday from Crawford, where Bush spent the weekend.

"I think it's unfortunate," Fratto said. "And I think he is proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments."

Increasingly irrelevant?  Actually, many would argue that since Carter left office he has actually grown more relevant.  From the 1982 establishment of the Carter Center; to being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002; to his oversight of the 2004 Venezuelan election; to his work with Habitat for Humanity; to his work as a professor at Emory University; The 39th president has made a number of differences in the world.

And if Jimmy Carter became so increasingly irrelevant, then how come 13 years after he left office President Bill Clinton sent him to North Korea to negotiate what became the 1994 Agreed Framework?  Had it not been for that deal, North Korea would have about 50 plutonium-based nuclear weapons today.

Maybe the better question is who is more relevant today, Bush or Carter?  At least Bush can rest assure that he has at least 28% siding with him.

Comments

[Chris Huston]

This is a standard and tiring tactic of the administration. Anyone who disagrees with them is given the title of irrelevancy. Think about it. France and Germany don't enter into our glorious war of Iraq, but that's Old Europe, not really important. The UN has been called irrelevant by the ambassador we send to the place.

The democrats were becoming irrelevant when they opposed all sorts of legislation, the anti war movement, old media that isn't taking the same line as Fox.... it seems arguing the people going against you's opinion doesn't matter is a favorite tactic, and one that's wearing thin like every other empty piece of rhetoric Bush throws at us.