At one point, when Carter was concentrating on Habitat for Humanity and other good works, I commented that he was a lousy President, but a very good ex-President. Well, he has proven me wrong–with a vengance.

I’ve always enjoyed J.R. Dunn’s articles. I find him very well-informed and he has a knack for a good turn of phrase.

As to Jimmy Carter, I find it puzzling why such a man who created many of the dysfunctions of the late twentieth century should still be prominent among the world’s leaders. I don’t understand why he should be listened to at all.

His administration was a disaster, and if it weren’t for Reagan and his convincing the Saudis to increase production to simultaneously prop up our economy (which was in stagflation at the time) and break the Soviets economically, the situation might have been reversed. Maybe if we didn’t get the Reagan reprieve, the Soviets would have won or the world would have had a premature global cooling from the fall out.

The fact that he’s a former President of these United States gives him a kind of authority, a kind of veneration for holding that high office. But make no mistake. It is from the office of the Presidency that he derives or leeches his respectability. It certainly isn’t from his actions during and after his administration.

I voted for the clown in 1976, for which I hang my head in shame. At least I didn’t repeat the mistake. (Not a Reagan Democrat then: I went third party.)