Carter on Charlie Rose (Transcript from Nexis): “I think any time any powerhouse takes military action when it’s a high danger or almost an inevitability that women and children are going to be killed, I think that can be considered an act of terrorism, yes.” Note that Carter’s definition of “terrorism” means that no “powerhouse” can ever fight any war, no matter how justified, without being guilty of “terrorism” just as bad as the likes of Hamas (see below) or Al Qaeda–war, after all, just about always means a high danger of civilian casualties.
Here’s the fuller context, which doesn’t make Carter look any less foolish:
JIMMY CARTER I have condemned the shelling of a little town of Sderot, which I visited, and Ashkelon, which I also visited, as an act of unforgivable terrorism, because the people who suffered — they have been shelling for seven years. Thirteen people have been killed. And the people of Sderot are living in terror. It`s a town of about 20,000 people. We spent a couple hours, two or three hours with the mayor. And you ride through this town and there`s nobody on the street. Nobody on the playgrounds.
CHARLIE ROSE: Right.
JIMMY CARTER: They’re afraid of these rockets. Well, if you look at the statistics from last year, 2007, every time one Israeli was killed, 40 Palestinians were killed by attacks by Israel against Gaza. And if you just look at children, every time an Israeli child is killed, eight Palestinian children are killed. So you can’t just say that all of the blame lies on one or the other.
So what I try to do…
CHARLIE ROSE: But more [blame on] one [Hamas] than the other [Israel]?
JIMMY CARTER I’m sorry?
CHARLIE ROSE: More one or the other?
JIMMY CARTER: I don`t even say that. You know, I think any time any powerhouse takes military action when it`s a high danger or almost an inevitability that women and children are going to be killed, I think that can be considered an act of terrorism, yes.
CHARLIE ROSE: So Israel is engaging in acts of terrorism?
JIMMY CARTER: I think both are equally guilty, yes.
Rose at some point also said some along the lines that Carter is almost universally considered a great ex-president. Rose doesn’t travel is the same circles I do, obviously.