Jimmy Carter: I don’t pay any attention to Oliver North; he was a criminal
Former President Jimmy Carter says he doesn't pay much attention to Oliver North.
Last month, North, the former Reagan official and staunch critic of the Obama administration said "if you could imagine someone is happy that Obama is president, it has to be Jimmy Carter."
In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, North slammed President Obama for his handling of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, by comparing him to the former president.
"Proof that the old axiom 'into any vacuum a leader will eventually come,' Putin has been handed this by what is essentially Jimmy Carter on steroids," North said.
Carter responds to the criticism by recalling North's checkered past.
Transcript
ERIN BURNETT: I’m curious what you think about this because I know this has to frustrate you on some level. The right links you to President Obama all the time. Former Reagan official Oliver North just recently said: ‘President Obama showed a failure of leadership with Ukraine. Putin has handed this by what is essentially Jimmy Carter on steroids.’ How does that make you feel?
JIMMY CARTER: I don’t pay any attention to Oliver North and I’m kind of sorry to hear you quote him. He was a criminal during the Iranian Contra crisis and was convicted of betraying the best interest of our country. And of course he is famous now because he is a constant critic of the democratic party and the democrats. But I don’t worry about that. As of a matter of fact, I don’t think anyone could have moved more strongly against the Soviet Union when they went into Afghanistan than I did.
ERIN BURNETT: And so again, you think it really is about drawing a line? So Putin knows? And believes that if he crosses there will be repercussions.
JIMMY CARTER: When you make a promise, you have got to keep it. You can’t make a deadline and then not honor it. And I think the President was convinced that what I said I would do. And I would have.
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If you look at the history of the Iran Contra scandal most of the politicians were bigger crooks than the military officers participating in it.
Former President Carter is right, he is a criminal, he never admitted he hroke the law. He has made money off his unlawful act. At least Limbaugh admitted he broke the law, even through he bribed his way out of jail.
In retrospect, he shouldn't look at his staunch support for Afghanistan as a crowning foreign policy achievement. When the Russians attacked Afghanistan, it was run by the same folks who became the Taliban and later attacked us on 9/11. They are troublemakers and Russia probably had good reason to attack them. We beat Russia there but in doing so we funded and armed the Taliban. They built on what we gave them to get us later. It might have all been better if Russia had actually taken them over.
The Taliban didn't attack us on 9/11. Neither did Iraq.
Jimmy Carter stands as the worst president of my lifetime and maybe all time. He makes me sick to my stomach as he comments on anything. He is also the worst former president of all time, as he pranced around the globe pushing policy that wasn't the official policy of the Clinton administration. He is the major reason we have a nuclear powered and very strong N. Korea, and why Hugo Chavez came to power.
Oliver North is a great American in my view, he did what he was told to do. He stood up to terrible scrutiny by congress. He was accused of lying to Congress, which is like saying someone littered at the landfill.
Jimmy do us a favor and move to a socialist country, and leave us alone!
Sir, I didn't like the policy of Former President Carter, but until you have been President you don't have the right to criticize. You can say; it is my opinion with my limited knowledge that President Carter was:
LMAO if you seriously think North is a great American, you just summed up what is wrong with our country today..partisan politics. The man lied to Congress, sold weapons illegally, and now questions the character of a sitting President?! hypocrite wouldnt even be the word for that. something much, much worse.
another limited mentality heard from. In the military you follow orders even if you believe them to be wrong.
Oliver North is a drug dealer and a arms runner, just like his boss Ronald Reagan.
Is just disgusting to hear both parties supporting wathever it may be as long as is to support your side,
Both parties are disgusting protecting their own party criminals ,( yes both have them ) and the big money that pays for their campaigns ,instead of representing the american people shame on you.
Really? Name one. Name just one of these "infractions" that President Obama has committed. No? didn't think so.
They can't, there aren't any. On one hand everyone tells us "the world has changed" and then they complain when we don't go rushing to war at the drop of a hat.
Obama lied to the Americal people. He said you can keep your plan. Not even Mrs. Clinton would say that and she didnt in 1994 when she was told to do so. The lies of this administration surpass any other administration. Carter is not the worst president even though he was useless. Obama is the worst in my lifetime. Hope and change? The gap between the rich and poor is worse now than it was when Obama took office. You get what you vote for and Clinton lost. The middle class has been destroyed by Obama. He finished off what was started by other presidents
Carter is correct. His National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski put in place the funding and weapons to harass the Soviets in their Afghanistan war. Carter, a Naval Academy graduate, was far more hawkish than North (also a Naval Academy graduate) depicts him.
Obviously he is not that particular as he speaks here. He is still a member of the Democratic party and is supporting one of the biggest criminals in the history of this nation. Obummer is certainly guilty of many more infractions of our laws than Oliver North ever could have been.
A history lesson for you: Oliver North aided and abetted America's enemies for purely partisan political reasons, then lied to Congress about it. This is FACT, not opinion. There is no greater crime an American can commit than TREASON, other than perhaps LYING TO START AN UNNECESSARY WAR that gets thousands of Americans killed for no good reason. And yet you think our current President has somehow committed higher crimes than the traitor Oliver North? Yeah, OKAY. You RepubliCAN'Ts bash Obama regardless of whether it's valid or completely made up, and you still expect intelligent people to take you seriously. Pathetic. The Democrats may be the party of bad ideas, but the RepubliCAN'Ts are the party of NO ideas. All you people bring to the table are bellyaching, acrimony, and a particularly ugly brand of racism.
Obama isn't a criminal, he is a left wing socialist that is ruining this country.
The real reason for the hate on Obama is obvious. He is in the middle of the political spectrum. The economy is much stronger than when he came to power. Taxes are still at extremely low levels historically speaking. Disagree with him – go ahead. Call him vile names and rant and rave in childish anger – only hateful racists do that. The right has morphed into the party of the bitter white man dreaming of the days when blacks were slaves and women couldn't work, vote, or disobey.
LMAO then he is the WORST SOCIALIST EVER!
Name the infractions please?
how about lying to Congress, and illegally selling/trading weapons to Iran for starters.
North was a convicted criminal who went to prison and betrayed his country while his master (Reagan) collaborated against America and supported Iran.