I just have to say something!

White House hits back at Carter
By Edward Luce in Washington
Published: May 21 2007 03:00 | Last updated: May 21 2007 03:00

The White House on Sunday took the unusual step of hitting back at a former president, Jimmy Carter, who on Saturday described George W. Bush as having run the "worst administration in history".

How can you not love this guy? He's actually BTDT, even down to having an election stolen by his opponent, he gets to share his opinion.

Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman, said: "It is sad that President Carter's reckless personal criticism is out there. I think he's proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments."

I'm glad Jimmy's in his 80s and has no stake in what Tony has to say. FWIW, Mr. Fratto, irrelevant folks (like me, for instance) don't get mention by White House spokesmen. He's relevant, that's why you got something to say about him. Yer boss is skerred!

Mr Carter, whose own administration from 1977 to 1981 has not been ranked highly in the American presidential pantheon, was a consistent critic of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But in his comments to the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette, White House officials said he had overstepped the boundary.

Jimmy Carter was President of America. Ya know, the place where we've got freedoms like speech and press.

"I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history," Mr Carter said. "The overt reversal of America's basic values as expressed by previous administrations, including those of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and others, has been the most disturbing to me."

Amen, Mr. President, sir!

Mr Carter, who is promoting a new book, Sunday Morning In Plains, a collection of Bible lessons from his hometown in Georgia, also had harsh words for Tony Blair, Britain's departing prime minister, who made a farewell visit to Washington last week, in a separate interview with the BBC.

Jimmy's new book. It's gonna sell, he's a darn cool guy, no denying. There's gonna be lots of money. This means there's gonna be bounty for many! Taxes will be paid on those profits, no doubt about it, Mr. Carter's a good, upstanding American Citizen. Then it will be given, surely, to Habitat for Humanity. Directly resulting in homes being provided for the working poor. What direct impact have you had with your wealth Mr. Blair? Mr. Bush?

"I think that the almost undeviating support by Great Britain for the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world," he said. He called Mr Blair's relationship with Mr Bush "abominable, loyal, subservient and blind."

Call it like you see it.

Mr Bush's response on Sunday marks the first time he has responded to his predecessor's criticisms in an almost unprecedented exchange between a sitting and former president. "It is also unprecedented for a former president to say this about a sitting president," Mr Fratto said.

The president's official response is to call Mr. Carter increasingly irrelevant and his comments reckless?? Did he spit, too?

Mr Bush's approval ratings recently dropped to 28 per cent - the lowest for any president since Mr Carter.

That's funny. I think Jimmy lost points for being too nice, too soft hearted. W lost points for being too soft in the head, too stupid. Nice is better.

Mr Carter, who pulled off a diplomatic breakthrough in the 1977 Camp David agreement that led to peace between Israel and Egypt, also criticised Mr Bush for having "zero peace talks" on the Israel-Palestine question.

Peace building would contradict his agenda of war-time profiteering.

The former president, who won the Nobel Peace prize in 2002 for his foundation's work in promoting democracy and human rights around the world, also attacked Mr Bush for mingling his private Christian faith with public policy in the White House's "faith-based and community initiative," which channels some welfare assistance through religious institutions.

When the most Christ-like of all presidents calls you on this kind of shittiness, you're in deeeeep sinful sludge, m'boy.