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Greetings from
the Pacific Northwest, where the seasons they are a’-changing: For those of
you who are interested in yet another former government official speaking his
mind about the possibility of war with Iraq, here’s former Pres. Jimmy Carter
adding his two cents and also complaining about the deteriorating stature of
American interests under the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld watch. He also notes the lack of progress in
the Israel-Palestine situation and the reversal of American presidential policy
since 1967 by Bush. While he doesn’t
label the DOJ incarceration of enemy combatants as impeachable offenses, as
some have, he “draws a bead” on that target quickly, as I’ve excerpted below. It’s not out
of character for him but a little surprising to me that a former Pres. has
broken the silent barrier. Perhaps
as the head of the Carter Center he feels it imperative, but will this open the
door for greater dissension or does it just add to the public debate? Who’s next? Will it be Ford or Clinton? Bob
Dole has already chimed in. McCain
endorsed Bush’s “good intentions” yesterday. As has been
noted elsewhere, the more we talk about going to war, the less strange it
seems. Do you agree with that? - Karen The
Troubling New Face of America By Jimmy Carter excerpt: “Formerly
admired almost universally as the preeminent champion of human rights, our
country has become the foremost target of respected international organizations
concerned about these basic principles of democratic life. We have ignored or condoned abuses in
nations that support our anti-terrorism effort, while detaining American citizens
as "enemy combatants," incarcerating them secretly and indefinitely
without their being charged with any crime or having the right to legal
counsel. This policy has been
condemned by the federal courts, but the Justice Department seems adamant, and the
issue is still in doubt. Several
hundred captured Taliban soldiers remain imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay under the
same circumstances, with the defense secretary declaring that they would not be
released even if they were someday tried and found to be innocent. These actions are similar to those of
abusive regimes that historically have been condemned by American presidents.” … We have thrown
down counterproductive gauntlets to the rest of the world, disavowing U.S.
commitments to laboriously negotiated international accords. Peremptory rejections of nuclear arms agreements, the biological
weapons convention, environmental protection, anti-torture proposals, and
punishment of war criminals have sometimes been combined with economic threats
against those who might disagree with us. These unilateral acts and assertions
increasingly isolate the United States from the very nations needed to join in
combating terrorism. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38441-2002Sep4.html |
