The American Spectator

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Hanging Juries

2.25.02 @ 12:20AM

JIMINY CARTER
EX-cellent choice of the very EX-President Carter. All week I was suffering from EOW agent block, couldn't come up with anything even though I had seen it and read it. I am all too willing to simply dismiss the man without giving him the consideration he is surely due. Great job, So-o glad to have EOW and everything else back.
-- Roger Ross
Tomahawk, WI

I read this week's Enemy Central column hoping and praying that you would pick former President and Dolt-in-Chief Jimmy Carter as Enemy of the Week for his idiotic comments regarding the "axis of evil." Thank you so much for answering that hope and prayer! I just wish space had permitted you to quote more extensively from the AP dispatch, on which you apparently based your fine selection.

This jackanapes called the turn of phrase not only "overly simplistic" but also "counterproductive." I actually believe that Mr. Bush (who graces his high office nearly as much as Mr. Carter disgraced his) intentionally employed his words to great effect. At a stroke, he cleverly pushed these pariah regimes onto the defensive; they're scared and they've not stopped squawking since the State of the Union.

At the same moment, he exposed the domestic and foreign critics of his war against the terrorists and the states which harbor and succor them. Left-liberals dare not declare their true opposition to the war, indeed they publicly exclaim their full and faithful support for the President's efforts. But they search ceaselessly for any opportunity to quibble, carp and cavil. And now one after another has stumbled into Mr. Bush's well-laid rhetorical trap: Foreign Minister Vedrine, Foreign Secretary Straw, former Secretary of State Albright, Majority Leader Daschle, all manner of clucking commentators, now Mr. Carter.

According to the AP dispatch, Mr. Carter also blubbered that Mr. Bush's three words had seriously jeopardized progress made with North Korea, Iran and Iraq in recent years, that it would take years to undo the damage. In his speech at Emory, did he describe the progress or damage, or did he just consider his conclusions self-evident? The AP unfortunately does not say.

Then Mr. Carter drops a non-sequitur: the growing gap between the rich and poor continues as the world's greatest challenge (there he gives us the peek behind the curtain: fighting terrorism isn't important and urgent, fighting world poverty is!). Yet those dastardly terrorists falsely claim membership among the destitute. "We are very concerned now about terrorism. Osama bin Laden is not poor, he's very rich -- and the people who committed those horrible acts on Sept. 11 were not poor." I gather terrorists are evil not because they murder thousands of innocent Americans but lie about their income and assets. Wait, maybe terrorists kill because they are rich. Who knows?

For all this unforgivable nonsense, Mr. Carter more than earned his
designation as Enemy of the Week. Keep up the great work!
-- Chip Halstead
Long Beach, CA

CRACKING THE HATE MAIL CASE
You are my favorite dot com, love everything you do. George Drewyor has been a friend of mine for 30 years and I forwarded one of your articles to him. See what happens when a bleeding heart liberal reads the truth. Pleeeze keep up the great work. I pass on your material to many friends.
-- Bill Simons

LOVE IS ALL WE NEED
Just wanted to say I love this website! The articles and sarcasm are
great and I am addicted. I log on and read the articles every night.
Keep up the good work! Sincerely,
-- Sandra Gentry

What a great surprise to find the American Prowler and the old gang from the Spectator back in action....
-- Evan Millard
Dickson, Tennessee

My mornings have gotten brighter since the arrival of "Prowler."
-- Lee Rodgers
Talkshow Host
KSFO, San Francisco

HOW SWEDISH IT IS
Thank goodness the website is back!!! Re: last sentence in Jackie Mason and Raoul Felder's column -- I think Volvo is now owned by Ford. Best wishes and good luck to "The American Prowler"!
-- John Berrodin

Volvo's owned by FORD!!
-- John Rosengren

Not sure if last sentence about Volvo was facetious or not. Volvo is at least partially owned by Ford and is sold as a Ford brand. (Click here.) Love the columns.
-- Robert Paci
Cambridge, MA

Are you familiar with the fact that Volvo is now owned by Ford, as Saab is by GM. After their recent consolidation, the largest independent manufacture left is BMW.
-- Joseph R. L. Simkins
Richardson, TX

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Trade, Business, Law, Iraq, Iran, North Korea