> Gary Nunn wrote: > > >When Jimmy Carter was president, I was a teenager with > >things on my mind other than politics and foreign policy. > > > >But now, being a little older and better educated, the > >more I read about Jimmy Carter, the more respect I > >have [for] him.
I was even younger, but <AOL> ME TOO!!!! </AOL>. Russell Chapman wrote: > > I have a couple of questions (genuinely - I'm not debating > I am just curious) > > 1. Why didn't he do something about Cuba when he was in > power (or is the current stand a result of the end of the > Cold War) ? The media reports recently have said that he was responsible for some thawing of the relationship during his administration, but realistically, there was only so much that could be done. It WAS during the Cold War and Cuba was closely allied with the USSR. > 2. Why did he give away the Panama Canal Zone, which surely > was of huge strategic importance to the USA, not to mention > an incredibly expensive asset to acquire in the first place? I thought that the canal zone was bought with a 99 year lease, and that they merely negotiated an earlier ending date for the lease. I don't know the reasons either, though I would guess that it had to do with shifting the cost of operations off the USA budget. -- Matt
