JIMMY CARTER'S BIG THOUGHTS

In the long list of things Jimmy Carter messed up in his (thankfully) short term of office, from the gas shortages to staglation, from the Middle East to malaise, he stated in a  recent interview that his greatest failure was not getting reelected (via Real Clear Politics):




What a putz.

When asked what lesson he learned in office, he replied with two things:

“[N]ot to ever let American hostages be held for 444 days in a foreign country without extracting them.”

Ya think? (Maybe he should clue President Obama in on that one).  As for reason number two:

"I should have paid more attention to the organization of the Democratic party.  I was not only the leader of a nation, I was also leader of the Democratic party.  And I think I failed, in that respect, to keep the party united.  It was divided, and my reelection campaign between me and people with some loyalty to Senator Ted Kennedy, and that cost me a lot of votes."

So let's recap.  It wasn't the Middle East crisis he set off with his meddling in the affairs of Iran, it wasn't the gas shortage that had people waiting in line for hours for a few gallons of gas; it wasn't even stagflation or a lack of connection and engagement with the American people that caused them to vote in Reagan with a staggering 489 electoral votes to Carter's 49. 

As far as he's concerned, it was hostages and Kennedy.  For Carter, it's all about him, and yet it's never his fault.  Sound familiar?