Very few people on the world stage can say they knew Bashar al-Assad, the president of beleaguered Syria, when he was a frat boy in college. But it's one of the benefits of being in your 10th decade.
Over the weekend,
former President Jimmy Carter proposed a five-nation, negotiated settlement to the turmoil in Syria, which has upended Europe with a massive flood of refugees.
In the op-ed, Carter refers to al-Assad by his first name, and points to his long-term disagreement with U.S. foreign policy in the region:
The Carter Center had been deeply involved in Syria since the early 1980s, and we shared our insights with top officials in Washington, seeking to preserve an opportunity for a political solution to the rapidly growing conflict. Despite our persistent but confidential protests, the early American position was that the first step in resolving the dispute had to be the removal of Mr. Assad from office. Those who knew him saw this as a fruitless demand, but it has been maintained for more than four years. In effect, our prerequisite for peace efforts has been an impossibility….
Carter endorses a course suggested by Vladimir Putin, in which the United States, Russia, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia would negotiate the future of Syria. (Last month, former U.S. senator Sam Nunn likewise suggested Russia's involvement in Syria as an opportunity for the U.S. to re-engage with its old Cold War adversary.)
Carter's involvement in Syria predates Saturday op-ed piece. There's the matter of the provocative remarks the former president made at his Sunday school class at Maranatha Baptist Church earlier this month. From the Atlantic:
He added that the next day the Russian Embassy "called down and told me they would like very much to have the map. So in the future, if Russia doesn't bomb the right places, you'll know it's not Putin's fault, but it's my fault."
Those maps are readily available on the Carter Center's website, and the former president was clearly being glib. But The Atlantic noted that the Russians "didn't pick up on the joke:"
The Interfax news agency flashed the following: "RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY CONFIRMS THAT EX-U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER HANDED MAPS INDICATING ISLAMIC STATE'S CURRENT LOCATIONS IN SYRIA TO RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON."
***
We've previously explored the complexities of Ben Carson's religious views. He's come under fire for saying he did not want a Muslim president, though he adheres to a faith - Seventh Day Adventism - that has faced its own discrimination.
Donald Trump, who was knocked off the top of Iowa polls by Carson over the weekend, took aim at Carson's faith in a rally in Florida. Said Trump:
"I'm Presbyterian. Boy, that's down the middle of the road, folks, in all fairness. I mean, Seventh-day Adventist, I don't know about. I just don't know about."
Pressed to apologize on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, the billionaire businessman didn't budge.
"I would certainly give an apology if I said something bad about it. But I didn't. All I said was I don't know about it."
***
The movement's ripple effects are helping to define the GOP presidential race, but the term "tea party" is losing steam with the public. From Gallup:
Americans' support for the Tea Party has dropped to its lowest level since the movement emerged on the national political scene prior to the 2010 midterm elections. Seventeen percent of Americans now consider themselves Tea Party supporters, and a record 54% say they are neither supporters nor opponents.
***
An event billed as an anti-Muslim rally in Valdosta on Saturday attracted about 30 people, though several were protesting the protesters.
Event organizer Joey Williams said he organized the event in front of the Lowndes County Courthouse because he was concerned about a wave of refugees coming to the U.S. from the Syrian refugee crisis.
He told the Valdosta Daily Times: “I went to Afghanistan to fight them over there. I don’t want Obama to give them a free ride to come here."
Also among the crowd was Republican state Sen. Ellis Black, who told the newspaper he was "curious" about the event. There's more from the Times:
Black said he has learned Syrian Christians were among groups at "greatest risk" in the crisis and that refugee backgrounds should be inspected to determine "if they pose any threat to the country."
Black rejected the notion that refugees should be denied asylum based on religion alone.
"I don't think we can do that," said Black. "One of the founding principles of our country is religious freedom."
Oh, and on the importance of spell-checking your signage -- see the above photo. From James Carter IV's Tweet: "Apparently Lowndes County, GA is being invaded by plainly woven, lightweight cotton cloth."
***
State Sen. David Lucas and former House Speaker Terry Coleman went to Cuba together. Yep. The story's here.
***
The Marietta Daily Journal let its readers know Saturday that longtime columnist and local historian Joe Kirby has left the WellStar Kennestone Hospital after testing for inoperable lung and heart tumors and is now in home hospice. Kirby has worked for the MDJ for 30 years.
***
Glenn Beck isn't the only one railing against U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, for backing Paul Ryan for speaker. From the Washington Post, which took a look at the Facebook pages of members of the hard-right Freedom Caucus:
Things may never be the same for the Freedom Caucus after most of its members moved last week to support Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as the next House speaker. Suddenly, they may not be conservative enough for some in the party.
The groundswell of support from hard-core conservative voters that emboldened the group as it battled Boehner and the GOP establishment seemed to subside for the first time in months. That has put its members in the unfamiliar position of defending their right flank.
***
A fun read from Courthouse News Service for you today: U.S. Rep. Austin Scott and red snapper, a love story. A taste:
"That's just flat out un-American," Scott said.
***
Also:
About the Author
