A view of America

[chris_gee]

The are we there yet thread is one thing. A wider perspective by an american, Bacevich is offered in this link, (two videos and a transcript). It is a matter for americans rather than outsiders to comment but it appears to be challenging.
The Big Picture | Bacevich: The Limits of Power

[sailingdog]

Thank you for posting that link.

[CGMojo]

PBS in praise of Jimmy Carter? Give me a break!

[sailingdog]

Just curious... what have the other Presidents done since leaving office... Jimmy Carter has worked hard to help people get housing—Habitat for Humanity; he has helped in international crises and situations, by acting as an ambassador and mediator... acted as an advocate for human rights throughout the world, and helped combat and eradicate disease in developing nations... He's got a Nobel Peace Prize.

Reagan, Ford, Bush, Nixon all did nothing but sit on their fat asses and collect their pensions... Clinton's been busy campaigning for his wife...

Carter may not have been all that much as President...but as a person, he's done a hell of a lot more than most of our Presidents, in or out of office.

[cardiacpaul]

Yup, carter helped clinton broker that "We'll give ya a boat load of cash and technoogy if ya just promise to not build nukes" deal with north korea.
probably his finest hour... if you don't count the trying to save the hostages in iran thing.

[sailingdog]

CP-

never said he was perfect...but compared to Bush Sr., Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton, at least he's trying to help...

Originally Posted by cardiacpaul

Yup, carter helped clinton broker that "We'll give ya a boat load of cash and technoogy if ya just promise to not build nukes" deal with north korea.
probably his finest hour... if you don't count the trying to save the hostages in iran thing.

[SailKing1]

It takes some people a little longer to find their place in life than others. Carter finally found his. Now, if he can just keep his noise out of world affairs.

[tdw]

It's interesting to look at some of the Presidents in terms of how they come across visually and ponder whether the visual is really them or whether our assessment of them is based on that visual image.

Carter always looked doomed. Somewhat lost compared to the ultimate man of confidence Reagan.

Bush Sr, calmly self assured.

Clinton, slick Willy himself. Never a doubt.

Bush Jr, rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi.

But back to Carter, what he said in the so called "Malaise" speech seems quite prescient today while the Reaganist 'the american way of life is not negotiable' seems pretty vapid really, if only from a 'what the hell IS the American way of life' perspective.

Chris, many thanks for that. Agree with the sentiments or not it was a very interesting interview.

[sailingdog]

LOL... how very, very true...

Bush Jr, rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi.

[sailaway21]

Carter and Clinton were quite younger than the others. Unfortunately,unlike the others, they also did not have the good sense to just go away after leaving office.