December 26, 2009

Carter U-turn or "told you so"

I think we may be in a bit of a "told you so" situation here. Apparently Jimmy Carter is trying to ingratiate himself with the Israel lobby. As coincidence would have it, his grandson is going into politics. This is from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:
Jimmy Carter is asking the Jewish community for forgiveness -- and insists it’s not simply because his grandson has decided to launch a political career with a run for the Georgia state Senate.

Jason Carter, 34, an Atlanta-area lawyer, is considering a run to fill a seat covering suburban DeKalb County should the incumbent, David Adelman, win confirmation as President Obama's designated ambassador to Singapore.

The seat, which is university heavy -- Emory, among others, is situated there -- also has a substantial Jewish community.

The senior Carter outraged Jewish leaders with his book “Palestine: Peace not Apartheid,” and they strongly criticized the former U.S. president for what appeared to be his likening of Israel's settlement practices to apartheid and seeming to place the brunt of the blame for a lack of peace on Israel.

On the subsequent book tour, Carter further enraged many Jews by intimating that the pro-Israel lobby inhibited an evenhanded U.S. policy.

Such bad blood could potentially translate into problems for Carter’s grandson as he considers launching a political career.

Now if the Israel lobby either doesn't exist or doesn't have the power that Carter suggests that it does, why should Carter be back-peddling on what he was saying in his book?

And what's this "told you so" all about? For that, check out an earlier JSF post together with the comments.

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