"hey, he called me," and "what invitation?"
I love Jimmy Carter. I was thinking earlier today, before I saw this, that if Jimmy Carter were king of the world, the real world would be like the blog world (once was), with everyone just talking things out like plain folk and solving what problems we could or agreeing to disagree and talk another day.
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I googled carter on dean and found that Jimmy's been pretty consistent. That's because Jimmy's never been political, but honest. Those two things don't jive.
In a snippet from this interview, blogged on Clark's site, I'll grant you, Carter said this about Dean and the South--a topic that has been close to my heart. Jimmy knows:
MATTHEWS: And so what is your feeling about a possible Democratic nominee who voted against you?
CARTER: Well, Chris, I can forgive Wesley Clark, but my wife can't.
(LAUGHTER)
CARTER: So that's the difference.
(CROSSTALK) CARTER: But all I want to say....
(LAUGHTER)
MATTHEWS: That sounds like a deal breaker. That sounds like a deal breaker to me.
CARTER: Well, next year, as the thing comes to a close, whichever Democratic candidate seems to be the most likely to marshal the support to defeat George Bush next November, that’s the one whom I will support. Right now, of course, it does look like Wesley Clark--excuse me-it does look like Dean is going to prevail. But nobody knows yet what is going to happen when you get to the South, when you get to South Carolina and other places. I think Howard Dean has got a long way to go down there. After he made his unfortunate statement about pickup trucks and the Confederate flag, he called me and asked me my advice, which is not very good, perhaps, how to get out of that quandary.
And I'll bet you a pig to a penny that Jimmy said, back then, you ought to get your lilly white behind down here and see what not-vermont looks like. Then I'll tell you how to get yourself out of that jam. And I bet you a pig to a penny that Dean tucked that away in his politician's billfold like a fresh twenty. And as the campaign churns, it becomes, "Jimmy invited me--I had to go." Lying sack of excrement.
The best thing about Dean is is wife, and even she doesn't want to be around him much.
