John McCain blasts Jimmy Carter as 'lousy president'

Don't you hate it when old Navy guys just can't get along? John McCain took a swipe at Jimmy Carter the other day in an interview, with the transcript getting posted over at the Las Vegas Sun earlier today. As the folks at CNN's Politicker point out, it's not just a gratuitous political shot, since McCain has been trying to tie Obama to Carter, generally considered by the right (and quite a few centrists) to have been an ineffectual president.

But the comments are a bit jarring. McCain was asked by interviewer Jon Ralston, a Nevada political observer and blogger, about Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste and Carter's decision to end reprocessing, which McCain held up as a possible solution to the nuke waste problem.

"Q: You know why he did that then?
"A: Yes, because Carter was a lousy president .... This is the same guy who kissed Brezhnev ...."

Ralston also asked McCain whether his call for a gas tax holiday for the summer amounted to pandering. "I don’t think so. When I meet a guy who owns two trucks that run on diesel, who says he's going out of business, but may not have to if he is spared the 24-and-half-cent tax, which goes to things like a bridge to nowhere in Alaska." Ralston pointed out a Republican (actually it was two, Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young) proposed that bridge. "As you know," McCain replied, "I've taken on Republicans and Democrats. Some of them dislike me intensely and some of them still won't endorse me."

Look out, Dale Carnegie.

-- Scott Martelle

Comments

[Guillermo Rodriguez]

McCain is right; Carter was a lousy president. In fact, I consider him to be the worst president this country has ever had. He is also the worst ex-president we've ever had, the meddling fool.

Now if only McCain would just stop wanting to "reach across the aisle" to Carter's cronies...

[Jim]

McCain's criticism of President Carter was absolutely childish and totally inaccurate. The dishonest right-wingers who bash Carter all the time have conveniently forgotten history. Jimmy Carter had many accomplishments despite those that deviously conspired to bring him down. Remember the truth: Not one of the Iran hostages died. Carter worked for peace and accomplished a middle east treaty that left us with hope, and Egypt and Israel diplomatic normalization that has lasted to this day! Jimmy Carter is a great statesman. Perhaps the last one in the USA alive today. God Bless Jimmy Carter!

[Richard Terrell]

McCain is absolutely correct. Carter was an absolute disaster for President. He lost his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan in a landslide. Reagan won 48 states. Carter 2. Ever since, he can't keep his mouth shut and constantly offers his unwanted opinions. I'm sure he would like to rewrite history. Republican ex-presidents have the class to keep their opinions to themselves. Not Carter or Clinton. Clinton just wants attention. Carter needs validation and acceptance.

[McCain Is Bush]

Seriously?? Carter???

Come on Republicans what do you think about Taft or Adams? How about Jackson?

Oh you just don't want to be associated with Bush, I see. Can't blame you there, too late though. McCain is going down the Bush should have.

[Robert F. Tulloch]

VOTE FROM THE ROOFTOPS

[dave]

does mccain's unmistakable verbal embrace of the corrupt medvedev-putin regime (in addition to neocon bush totalitarism) qualify him to any criticism?

[jim]

I am not a real fan of either of the assumed presidential nominees, but McCain was correct in his statement of ex-president Jimmy Carter. With prime interest rates out of sight, Americans held hostage in Iran, and a public so disenfranchised with the incumbent president that they voted in such a landslide manner to remove him from office tells me that, yes, he was a pretty lousy president.

[capemh]

I have to agree with Jim. Not only was Carter's statesmanship excellent, but, given the actions of the Fed (out of his control) and the huge liabilities he inherited from the LBJ/Nixon/Ford administrations, the actions he undertook, while correct, put him on the path to the electoral losses of 1980. His energy policies make him look downright prescient.
He lost because he was the dour doctor prescribing medicine, eating right, and vitamins to Reagan's charming snake oil salesman (just one teaspoon of supply side economics and all will be ok).
We all know how all of that turned out, rising deficits, continued dependence on Middle-east dictators, and Isreal still at risk.

[Jimmy]

what on earth doe Carter have to do with current events? Mc Cain reminds me of NO president...he's more like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove...he'll be riding that ICBM all the way into Tehran

[Kim]

Guillermo Rodriguez is an idiot. Carter didn't lie his way into a war. Carter didn't kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

[NoMcCain]

Jimmy Carter might be a lousy president as per McCain; but at leat Carter had character and integrity of a US President while McCain is an old crook, liar and cheater. McCain is a low life Navy boy who graduated at the bottom of his class, a stupid and ignorant white trash.