'Carter is irrelevant,' Bush administration shoots back

[TexasLawyer]

Source: AP

'Carter is irrelevant,' Bush administration shoots back
POSTED: 3:53 p.m. EDT, May 20, 2007

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- The nasty words between President Bush and former President Jimmy Carter continued Sunday. In a biting rebuke to Carter calling the Bush administration the "worst in history," the White House on Sunday dismissed Carter as "increasingly irrelevant."

Carter was quoted Saturday in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette as saying "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history." (Read full story)

The Georgia Democrat said Bush had overseen an "overt reversal of America's basic values" as expressed by previous administrations, including that of his own father, former President George H.W. Bush.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto shot back Sunday from Crawford, Texas, where Bush spent the weekend. "I think it's sad that President Carter's reckless personal criticism is out there," said Fratto. "I think it's unfortunate. And I think he is proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/20/carter.bush.ap/

[phaseolus]

1. The obvious comment:

Increasingly Irrelevant pretty much describes the entire Bush administration these days, doesn't it??

[emilyg]

34. no

they were never relevant.

[yurbud]

40. that's like saying Jeffrey Dahmer wasn't relevant

to the guys he ate.

[napi21]

2. Gee Tony, you shouldn't base your judgement of others upon your opinion of your boss!

It's Shrub who's becoming increasingly irrelevant! Just check his poll numbers!

[Kali]

37. no, boosh is relevant all right

disastrously relevant.

[Catch22Dem]

3. So irrelevant that the WH addresses his remarks publically

Way to go Jimmy! The last truly decent human being to hold that office.

[journalist3072]

12. Exactly my first thought! If someone is truly irrelevant to you, why respond to their comments? nt

[AndyA]

4. Guess what Bush Administration?

The majority of the American people as well as the rest of the world AGREE WITH JIMMY CARTER.

You lose.

You are way outnumbered!

George Bush: WORST. PRESIDENT. EVER. It will take YEARS to undo the damage, just to get back where we were when the SOB stole the job in 2000.

[HockeyMom]

5. On the world stage,

Carter is far more relevant than Bush is, was, or ever will be.

[Cha]

6. No bush critic is "irrelevant"!

Every man, woman, and child is morally obligated to to work at impeaching this sic president and his sneering vp handler.

The bushits wanna silence everyone who doesn't go along with their greedy, immoral fascism but they can't do it.

Someday our corporatewhoremedia will turn on them too and the rover gang will have to go on the lam.

[BeatleBoot]

7. An Approval Rating at 28% Sounds Pretty Irrelevant to Me

Just about Nixon's rating at resignation, too.

Poor Tony Fratto, aWol George, Five Deferment Dick, Kindasleezy, et al.

I think its unfortunate that they don't get it.

America finally does, though.

$3.40 per gallon tends to bring the public back to reality.

[aein]

8. Pot, meet Kettle (NT)

[bluerum]

22. Yeah, cept Carter ain't. eom

[aquart]

9. Peace, building homes for Americans is irrelevant?

To fascists, yes, of course.

[Edweird]

10. Of course they think he's irrelevant.....

he lives in the liberally biased reality, while these guys invent their own pipe dreams and think they make us believe it's real. Carter is a good and decent christian man who lives the life all these self proclaimed christians should be. The truth hurts, don't it?

[BlueStater]

11. Bush is the only one who's irrelevant

And he becomes more irrelevant by the day. Soon his horrible little administration will be flushed down the toilet of history.

[closeupready]

13. How classy of the administration - NOT.

:eyes:

[Raine]

14. chimp is irrelevant and ineffective

no cares what he thinks or what he wants to do, everyone is just waiting out his last year and a half.

[cliss]

15. If Mr. Carter was "irrelevant"

then why are they even bothering to broadcasst it?

If Jimmy Carter was truly irrelevant, they would just ignore it.

Methinks I see an exposed vein.

[treestar]

59. Totally great sig line!

I really like that saying. Many a freep could stand to hear it, with their pathetic worship of the Chimperor.

[TexasLawyer]

16. Who's Afraid of Jimmy Carter? George Bush-- The Nation

Opinion
Who's Afraid of Jimmy Carter? George Bush

John Nichols 2 hours, 59 minutes ago

The Nation -- How touchy is the Bush administration about criticism?

Very touchy, indeed, especially if the source of that criticism is a certain former president.

When Jimmy Carter, whose approval ratings dwarf those of
George Bush these days, gets to talking about what's wrong with the current president the White House spin machine goes into overdrive.

And Carter has been talking.

<snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20070520/cm_thenation/1197253

[indepat]

17. Anyone not it lockstep with the WH's every policy and deed is irrelevant to the decider

even if it were 95% of we the people.

[Xipe Totec]

18. If he's irrelevant, why do they talk about him? nt

[bemildred]

19. Gaaaahhhh! It's just a flesh wound!

[MaineDem]

20. How extremely rude of the Bush White House!

At the very least, they should respect Carter as a former President. They have no right to declare him "irrelevant". Does Bush have a Nobel Prize? Can Bush even spell Nobel?

This is one of the most atrocious statements the White House has ever made.

[debbierlus]

21. Carter will be remembered as a great & decent man - Bush will be remembered as a EMBARRASSMENT

To this nation, & a huge dark spot on our history....

And, the WORST President to boot. They can 'shoot back' all they want. All they have is blanks.

[Maestro]

23. Bingo!

Carter has done more in his political life than any of these neocon fools and they know it. All they can muster in response is to say he is irrelevant? They sound spoiled frat boys who can't come up with a cogent response.

[MasonJar]

24. They should have just let the comment of Carter go; they cannot win

this battle of words with the foremost ex-president in US history. Hero of Habitat for Humanity (with special emphasis on humanity) and Nobel Peace Prize recipient and creator of Carter Center which actively monitors elections world-wide and the spokesman on the international scene of various presidents and the initiator of the peace accords between Egypt and Israel and numerous etcs.

[ContraBass Black]

25. If he's irrelevant, why do they have to answer him?

[whistle]

26. Just as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln

...and it seems most other previous U.S. presidents are irrelevant to Shrub*. Dubya is one arrogant defiant self-centered small-minded ignorant bastard!

[tanyev]

27. Reckless? RECKLESS?

Look who's talking.

:grr:

[JI7]

38. i caught that also, of all things for them to anyone of being RECKLESS ????????

these people really don't get it or just don't care. i'm guessing it's both.

[tanyev]

51. Unless he's referring to the time when Carter leaned into his podium

and said with a smirk, "Bring 'em on!". Because that was very reckless.

:banghead:

[Lisa]

60. exactly. It seems the only thing this administration is good at is projecting ...

One can pretty well guess that whenever they accuse another person or group of doing something, they themselves are in it neck-deep. Such as, when they claim that the French are cowards (how many of them served honorably in combat?), or brand Michael Moore as an irrational demagogue, or accuse Al Gore of being insincere and untruthful.

"Irrelevant". Let's just see how "relevant" Bush is, 20 years ... no, 20 MINUTES ... after leaving office. Unless we're talking about the bad things, of course.

[DemoTex]

28. The retired generals criticizing Bu$hWar are "irrelevant," too.

In fact, criticism of the little Emperor is de facto irrelevant.

[Miss Chybil]

29. Did Fratto clinch his fists and stomp his feet as he said this?

It's Bush who is becoming irrelevant. I'm sure he'll notice it, sooner or later.

[radfringe]

44. no, but at recess

he's going to go out there and beat us all up for gas money

[young_at_heart]

30. Carter is a former president and therefore has relevancy

There are many who say our current president is increasingly irrelevant!

[gulliver]

31. They didn't deny Bush is the worst president in history, though. n/t

[opihimoimoi]

32. Is this all Fratto can muster....enemic and weak response..and guess who is really irrelevant?

BushCo and the GOP...they have no fruits from our blood and treasure....they have not taken care of the Masses/Common Good.

[Ian David]

33. At least Carter didn't give anti-aircraft missiles to the Iranians

I'm beginning to think that Carter's rescue mission to get the hostages out of Iran was deliberately sabotaged by the Repukes.

[unkachuck]

35. of course President Carter....

....is 'irrelevant' to the fascists; President Carter made peace, bushco makes war....

[LetsThink]

36. Kind, gentle, intelligent, compassionate, giving, tireless, .....

....and, of course also very, very insightful. President Carter IS a TRUE LEADER!

President Bush is daily becoming less relevant- as his time in office draws to a close. Impeachment or no impeachment, he's almost gone, thank G-d!

[Robbien]

39. When did the WH get to be such big whiners

POTUS: WHINE. Mommy Jimmy is picking on me.

What a whiner.

[shanti]

41. next thing you know

babs will be coming out with a statement of her own to protect sonny boy!

[kitty1]

42. A verbal slap in the face from a former President is .....

pretty demoralizing and humiliating no matter how the Chimp tries to spin this.
The fact that a well respected former President and statesman would say offensive things like that to a standing President and PM goes to show you how incensed he must feel towards them both.
How low must people think of you that even dignified leaders are kicking your ass to the curb.

[WritersBlock]

43. Tony, Tony, Tony - you're confusing your consonants, dear.

Being irreverent toward your boy king does *not* make anyone, especially President Carter, irrelevant.

Quite the opposite, actually.

You need to consult a dictionary before you come out to speak to the adults again. You might try looking in the bookshelves of the WH "library."

[truthisfreedom]

45. Carter is ireverent, I agree. 8^)

[LizW]

46. Fratto inadvertently tells the truth

Everyone who refuses to kneel before the throne of the Fratboy Emperor is irrelevant to him, even if that person is a general, a Senator, or a former President of the United States.

It is the core principal of the FE's reign.

[deutsey]

47. How mature...I'm surprised they didn't say: "I know you are but what am I?"

Fucking morons...

[Roland99]

48. Bolton is irrelevant. Perle is irrelevant. Gonzo is irrelevant.

Carter is a man among pretenders.

[Triana]

49. Everyone is irrevelant to the bu$hit Crime Ring except...

...bu$h.

And that is a typical attitude considering that they're a bunch of psychopaths.

I hardly think a man who won a Nobel Peace Prize is "irrelevant".

It's psychopath talk straight from a hill in DC that is infested with them.

[momster]

50. Um -- Takes One To Know One?

This is classic Bush/Republican transference. Whatever they are doing, whatever they have become, they transfer onto somebody else. Classic example -- listen whenever GWB talks about the 'bad stuff terrorist folks' do.

Pennsylvania, Nov 11, 2005

BUSH: They are fanatical and extreme but they should not be dismissed.

Our enemy is utterly committed. As Zarqawi has vowed, "We will either achieve victory over the human race or we will pass to the eternal life."

(APPLAUSE)

And the civilized world knows very well that other fanatics in history, from Hitler to Stalin to Pol Pot, consumed whole nations in war and genocide before leaving the stage of history.

Evil men obsessed with ambition and unburdened by conscience must be taken very seriously and we must stop them before their crimes can multiply.

Doesn't take much imagination to see that this could be a description of his own activities. I esp. see irony when he talks about the 'innocent lives of women and children' taken by the terrorists when his own actions have killed numbers that the most fanatical terrorist only dreams of destroying.

[Lisa]

61. "they never stop thinking of new ways to harm ... and neither do we"

One of Bush's gems from 2004. Freudian slip?

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.

[missTheBigDog]

52. Truer words have never been spoken

Carter is a great person and a true statesman to his country. Thank God the rest of the world realizes that the majority of the the American people do not hold the same views as their "leader".

Sometimes I wish President Clinton would be more vocal.

[DuaneBidoux]

Right. Winner of 2002 Nobel Peace Prize irrelevant.

[DuaneBidoux]

53. Right. Winner of 2002 Nobel Peace Prize irrelevant.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

54. The man who saw all this coming is irrelevant?

Carter had us on the correct path to energy indenpendence which would have averted much of global warming. The man was a seer and a sage. No wonder they think him irrelevant. He's right on a regular basis. He deals with facts. He must be dismissed.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

55. Those grapes are certainly sour!

[0rganism]

56. what's unfortunate is that Carter backed down from his earlier critique

THAT is what will make President Carter less relevant, not his "reckless personal criticism" of GWB's incredibly reckless (not to mention short-sighted, destructive, ill-conceived, nepotistic, and greed-motivated) foreign policy blunders.

Don't get me wrong -- I understand why Carter would abandon his earlier position no matter how accurate; it's traditional for ex-presidents to avoid direct criticism, and generally plays poorly against the ex and the institution rather than the current officeholder. There was doubtless considerable pressure on President Carter, his family, and his associates to retract or rephrase. However, there are times when it becomes necessary to take such positions and stick to them, regardless of the insults and threats hurled back in reaction.

Self-censorship in all circumstances is the shortest path to irrelevancy anyone can take, even an ex-president.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

57. WH: I know you are, but what am I?

[Algorem]

58. Tony Farto?Why would anybody care what a guy named Tony

Farto says?A farty farting fartbag like that is just irrelevant.Like his 20% approval rating bossfart.