Jimmy Carter's "Careless" Confusion

Our 39th President is having another of his misadventures in public speaking.

This weekend, after telling a reporter "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history," Carter was rebuked by a third-string White House flack who called him ”reckless” and “increasingly irrelevant.”

Thus chastened, Carter on the Today show this morning allowed that his comments were “careless,” but his memory may be failing him more than his judgment.

At the 2004 Democratic convention, the former President said, “A cowardly attack on innocent civilians brought us an unprecedented level of cooperation and understanding around the world. But...all this good will has been squandered by a virtually unbroken series of mistakes and miscalculations. Unilateral acts and demands have isolated the United States from the very nations we need to join us in combating terrorism...

“The United States has alienated its allies, dismayed its friends, and inadvertently gratified its enemies by proclaiming a confused and disturbing strategy of preemptive war.”

It’s hard to see how what he said this weekend differs from or is worse than that. But it might be better not to ask Carter to explain.