May 21, 2007
Carter Steps Back From Bush Criticism
It sounded like the start of a battle between a former president and a current one -- enough so that one newspaper led its story by saying that no two commanders in chief had feuded "quite so publicly -- and angrily" since FDR and Herbert Hoover.
But Jimmy Carter was the first to blink this morning, saying on NBC's "Today" that his statement was "careless or misinterpreted" when he called the Bush administration "the worst in history" on foreign affairs.
Carter made his initial accusations in an interview posted to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette on Saturday. He criticized President Bush on multiple fronts beyond the Iraq war, including arms control, abortion and the environment. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also a target for going along with Bush's policies.
White House spokesman Tony Fratto bit back yesterday, calling Carter "irrelevant" and his criticism "reckless."
CNN reports that Carter tried to clarify the context of his initial remarks, which were a response to a question comparing Bush with former President Richard Nixon. During an interview while working with Habitat in Humanity in New Orleans, Carter said he "didn't mean to say" Bush was the worst president in history on foreign affairs.
"I should have avoided the question, been more careful," he said.
(Photo credit: Eric Draper/White House)
Posted at 1:33 PM
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