Carter bids to temper row with Bush
Former US president Jimmy Carter on Monday tempered his biting criticism of serving President George W. Bush after calling his administration "the worst in history."
Following a White House denunciation of Carter's original remarks, the Democratic former leader said he had intended to describe Bush as the worst president since scandal-plagued Richard Nixon.
"My remarks were maybe careless or misinterpreted. But I wasn't comparing the overall administration and certainly not talking personally about any president," Carter told NBC.
"I have been very careful and still am not to criticize any president personally," he said, while restating his opposition to Bush's policies on Iraq and the Middle East.
In a weekend commentary published by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Carter had written: "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history."
That remark prompted White House spokesman Tony Fratto Sunday to dismiss the "reckless" Carter's relevance.
"It is sad that the president's reckless criticism is out there. I think it's unfortunate and I think he is proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments," he said.
Carter has become an elder statesman pursuing global peace and human rights since his 1977-1981 administration. Under his leadership, the United States brokered a historic peace deal between Egypt and Israel.
On Saturday, Carter attacked outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his "blind" support of the Iraq war, describing it as a "major tragedy for the world."
In an interview with BBC radio, Carter was asked how he would describe Blair's attitude to Bush. He replied: "Abominable. Loyal, blind, apparently subservient."
AFP
