39-43: A CONTRAST

Aaron at Lifelike Pundits posted his reaction to Jimmy Carter's remarks about Bush, and he did it in the best way possible. I lived through the Carter years and, to be honest, it was somewhat of an embarrassment to be an American, especially in the aftermath of Desert One. It's scary, now, to think that he was actually the POTUS. Of course, back then we didn't have a full appreciation of what a loon he was; that became increasingly clear after he left office. At best, Carter was weak.

Carter's a bitter ex-president who has never gotten over the boot print Reagan left on his ass.

The only thing I would add to Aaron's list is "Interest Rates."

"Domestically, Carter had difficulties controlling inflation, which rose in each year of his administration—in part because of oil price increases after the Iranian revolution. The Federal Reserve Board's drastic remedies for curtailing inflation led to interest rates of more than 20% by 1980. Inflation and the unresolved hostage crisis put Carter in a weak position as the 1980 presidential election campaign began. He won the Democratic nomination only after a bitter challenge from Sen. Edward Kennedy. In the general election he was decisively defeated by Ronald Reagan."