Carter breaks "tradition", not protocol. Frankly, I don't blame Carter for being critical of Bush. The decisions and acts that the Bush administration is undertaking will hurt this country for decades. I think Carter has the right to speak out in this regard as he was the poor SOB who had to pick up the pieces after the Nixon and Ford debacle. Carter had to do so much after he was left holding the bag, and because of the situation he was thrust into, is called one of our worst Presidents. What's ironic is that the guy who followed (St. Reagan) gets all the credit for the groundwork that Carter laid during his tenure in office. Carter was a statesman, not a warrior, and it showed in his handling of the Iran situation (I wonder how he would have been judged if that chopper hadn't crashed and burned in the Iranian desert and the hostages been snatched and returned home safely). I wonder if we'll ever know who was truely responsible for what during that time. Seems all too good to be true that Reagan is inaugurated and the hostages are immediately freed, but I digress. I think Carter is looking to the future by peering into his own past, and he has the right to make the comments he did. Bush has certainly positioned the United States to be an untrusted entity for the forseeable future, and has certainly hurt the country with his handling of the economy and government. Carter likely sees what the "next" president has to face and understands better than anyone that the job left by this guy is certain to prevent the next guy from taking many steps forward.
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