# Jimmy Carter

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-carter/727748>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 13, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-carter/727748 "2015-08-13T15:39:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 71

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-carter/727748/71 "2015-08-20T13:30:35Z")

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> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> I’m not sure it’s fair to blame the president for long gas lines or high interest rates (presumably what caused the long delay in finding a buyer for your grandfather’s house)
> 
> Allowing the deposed Shah to come to NYC for medical treatment seems like a terrible idea in retrospect, but at the time I don’t think the reaction was foreseeable. (some reaction was to be expected, but we had never seen anything quite like the Iranian Revolution)
> 
> Carter’s handling of the hostage crises sure looks bad, but there weren’t many good options and I admire that he attempted diplomacy.

That is the main point-a US President cannot be perceived as weak-that merely opens the door for extortion and terrorism. Much as Clinton’s passivity emboldened Osama Ben laden. Had Carter ordered a devastating airstrike, the hostage thing would have been over in a week. Carter thought that the world leaders he was dealing with shared his values (honesty, decency), and forgot that most of them came to power by being gangsters and killers.

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