More Malaise

You know, it's always nice when someone proves that your opinion of them is correct. But it's getting tiresome to see Jimmy Carter constantly do it.

Judy Woodruff of CNN, whose questions to Democrats are only tough when compared to Katie Couric, held this interview with Carter Monday before he spent the evening making a further joke of himself.

Two points were particularly outrageous. First, Carter threw out this classic:

"I don't look on John Kerry as a so-called liberal. You know, anyone who offers his life to go to war for our country, and is wounded several times, and comes back to speak out fervently in favor of peace when a war is not necessary, I don't look upon as being anyone to criticize as being liberal or overly conservative or whatever."

This is such a load of unadulterated hooey that only a child might believe it. Let me make this simple: if someone joins the U.S. military and fought in Iraq, then came home and advocated conservative policies for 25+ years, including a long conservative voting record in office, then he or she would be a conservative. It doesn't matter for purposes of that label if that person was wounded in service. It doesn't matter for purposes of that label if that person served or not. That person's views on public policy are what they are.

Look at Bob Dole -- he served his country with great honor and was wounded. That doesn't mean that Bob Dole's not a conservative (actually, it's Dole's moderate voting record that might indicate that he's not a conservative, but I digress). Kerry's war service has nothing to do with his status as a liberal, conservative, socialist, whatever. It would be funny... if this wasn't the mantra Democrats have developed on this issue: Kerry served in Vietnam, so don't you dare criticize him!

Carter also fired off the following line:

"We've alienated almost everyone who offered their support after 9/11, and now we have just a handful of little tiny countries supposedly helping us in Iraq."

You know, liberals have repeated this canard for so long they actually may believe it. We're acting "unilaterally" in Iraq. Oh, wait, there are countries helping us. So now the response is "Okay, they're nobodies." Nobodies apparently include Great Britain, Australia and Poland, among others. All just "tiny" nations. Carter's brilliance shows why he hadn't spoken at any convention since 1980.

You know what's really sad? We once elected this man President. I guess they did do a lot of drugs in the 1970's.