President Carter II

John McCain recently said that Barack Obama is running for the second presidential term of Jimmy Carter. This is an EXCELLENT line of attack that McCain should pound Obama with for the next five months.

There are few presidencies that were worse than Carter's. His policies led to high inflation, high interest rates, high gas prices, high unemployment and the most dramatic weakening of the United States' stature in the world in US history. He was weak, vacillating, coddled dictators inimical to US interests and actively opposed leaders who were friendly to the US (most notably, the Shah of Iran). Since he was drubbed in the 1980 election (the worst ever defeat for a sitting president), Carter has been counterproductive to US interests. He's an enemy of Israel and friend to Arafat and Hamas. He hijacked the Clinton Administration's foreign policy regarding North Korea and actively worked against the US during both Iraq wars. And he believed the American distrust and distaste towards the USSR demonstrated an irrational fear of communism.

Americans remember Carter's failed presidency, especially Americans age 46+ who could first vote in the 1980 election and who are more likely to vote than the younger generation upon which Obama depends. Indeed, the 46+ year-old voters include thousands of the "Reagan Democrats" -- the moderate to conservative Democrats who rejected Carter and voted for President Reagan. So McCain's pitch is well-tuned.

And with good reason. Obama is perhaps the most radical left-wing candidate to achieve his party's nomination since George McGovern. He started his working career as an organizer for ACORN - itself a radical left-wing group best known for its anti-capitalist policies and its intentional voter fraud tactics, which it has used in more than 1/4 of the states.

Pointing out these facts about Obama is wise campaigning by McCain. And he should continue to do it.

The United States doesn't need a second term (or third) for Jimmy Carter.