Jimmy Carter, not stupid

Jimmy Carter has taken a lot of guff in the media for his recent visit with Hamas leaders.

Most political cartoonist are jumping on the anti-Carter bandwagon, see:

William Warren, Wake Forest's The Old Gold and Black . 2008 winner of the Charles M. Schulz, Scripps Howard Foundation national journalism award for college cartooning.

Randy Bish, Tribue-Review

Clay Jones, Free Lance-Star

Steven Lait, Oakland Tribune/MediaNews

Mike Lester, Rome News Tribune

Robert Ariail, The State

Carter is overwhelmingly cast as a tool for terrorists.
I disagree. Carter conversed with these leaders to get their take on peace with Israel. "What do you want?" he asked. And they told him they would peacefully accept Israel as a neighbor if a treaty, accepted by the Palestinian people, returned Israel's border to the one established in 1967.

However unlikely this peace may be, it can only be achieved through open communication between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Unfortunately, many Americans label Hamas a terrorist organization, which is valid given their violent nature, but they dismiss their political legitimacy. Hamas has achieved popular support in Palestinian elections. They represent the interests of a portion of the Palestinian population. They serve a function within the government. With its growing popularity, Hamas's terrorist attacks will likely decrease as the organization tests its political effectiveness.

This creates a difficult situation for an American leader hoping create peace between Israel and Palestine--he must treat a perceived terrorist organization as legitimate representatives of a portion of Palestinians. "The United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists," wholesome Americans say. "You're not winning any brownie points back home."

Fortunately, as a former president, there's no more political ladders for Jimmy Carter to climb and brownie points shouldn't interest him. He's doing the dirty work nobody else wants to do. He's doing something right and everyone thinks he's either an asshole or senile for doing it. I find that admirable. Unfortunate that cartoonists are jumping to the seemingly popular Jimmy Carter bomb belt or terrorist lap dog imagery.

"Here's to you, Mr. Carter."

edit (good cartoons):
MStreeter, of the Savannah Morning News has given a fresh take on Carter