Carter at peace
When he was in office, Jimmy Carter was considered an ineffectual president, in part because he had such a distaste for war.
Carter, who turned 95 this week, takes pride, however, in the fact that during his one term in office, the U.S. engaged in no foreign wars. By his count, in the 243-year history of this nation, the country has been at peace for only 16 years, and his presidency accounts for 25 percent of those.
There were, of course, conflicts overseas during his tenure. The protracted hostage crisis in Iran — and Carter’s inability to win the Americans’ freedom — contributed to his landslide loss to Ronald Reagan.
Still, Carter is a good man who tried to follow the Christian ideal of turning swords into plowshares. He can’t be too faulted for that.
Tim Kalich
Editor and Publisher
Greenwood Commonwealth
