Defending Jimmy Carter

Our 39th president made the news again recently. Former president Jimmy Carter, already famous for having an unemployment rate almost as high as Barack Obama's, blamed racism for opposition to Obama. I've met Jimmy Carter. Sure, I've only met him twice, but that's probably more than you've met him. I remember when he was governor of my state. I remember when he was president of my country -- which many of you may not. For what it's worth, I do not think Jimmy Carter was lying. Hold on there, conservatives. Hear me out... I did not say Carter was right. I said he wasn't lying. There's a difference. For instance, if Tweety Bird sees Sylvester and says "I tawt I taw a puddy tat," he'd be wrong. Sylvester isn't a "puddy" ... he's a "tom." Tweety isn't lying; he's simply mistaken. Tweety says "puddy tat" because that's what he knows. And it's the same with Jimmy Carter. He knows racism. His campaign used subtle racist tactics against former governor Carl Sanders in the 1970 gubernatorial race in Georgia. So, I don't think Carter is lying. He's projecting. Politically, there's not a lot of difference between Carter and Obama. Because they are so close on the issues, I believe Carter truly supports Obama's initiatives. And... That means that if Carter opposed Obama, it could only be for one reason: racism. So, he thinks that conservatives oppose Obama because of racism. Like some guy named Frank J. Fleming said, liberals can't imagine any other reason for opposing Obama. One other thing: Obama and Carter aren't completely alike. Obama will stand in front of the United States Congress and lie to America about his health care plan. I really don't think Carter is a liar, though. He's simply wrong. Being wrong doesn't make someone bad. Tweety Bird, for instance, was mistaken about the type of "tat" that Sylverster was. Of course, Tweety Bird is a cartoon. Jimmy Carter is merely cartoonish.

Secrets

I can keep a secret.

I had secret clearance when I was in the Army. A job needed it, they ran the checks, and I was given it.

There's a higher clearance level. There are lower clearance levels. Secret was the one I had.

What brought this up?

Did you hear about what Jimmy Carter said? According to the BBC, Carter told Israel's worst-kept secret: they have nuclear weapons.

Mr Carter gave the figure for the Israeli nuclear arsenal in response to a question on US policy on a possible nuclear-armed Iran, arguing that any country newly armed with atomic weapons faced overwhelming odds.

"The US has more than 12,000 nuclear weapons; the Soviet Union (sic) has about the same; Great Britain and France have several hundred, and Israel has 150 or more," he said.

Everyone knew Israel already had nuclear weapons. But no one in authority, with actual knowledge, ever said so.

The US, a key ally of Israel, has in general followed the country's policy of "nuclear ambiguity", neither confirming or denying the existence of its assumed arsenal.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert included Israel among a list of nuclear states in comments in December 2006, a week after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates used a similar form of words during a Senate hearing.

Former Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Zeevi-Farkash told Reuters news agency he considered Mr Carter's comments "irresponsible".

As a soldier with a secret clearance, I was privy to some information that should remain ... well ... secret. Many others had a higher level of clearance and were privy to more sensitive information. And, what I had access to in no way compares to what the President of the United States has ... or what a former President had.

However, things I was told to keep secret, I've kept secret. And things I witnessed or otherwise became aware, that I wasn't told to keep secret, I've kept secret if I thought it was best.

In other words, I know when to keep my mouth shut.

Jimmy Carter doesn't.

Or maybe, just maybe, he does. Maybe he just tells more than he should when it meets his agenda.

Typical liberal Democrat.