Posted by Sedruce at 11:47pm May 21 '07First Ford (after his death) and now Carter. What's your response to whether or not ex-Presidents should criticize current Presidents?
When Ford came out after his death and criticized Bush, I called him a coward, and I stand by it. What, for the sake of ettiquite you're not supposed to point out when you feel the person heading up the country you're part of (and had a hand in developing, having been President) is doing things poorly?
Now that Carter's done it too, I wonder if I'm the only person who feels that it's the right thing to do, no matter who you are or what position you have/had, to stand up and say something when you feel the country is being jerked around by someone doing things badly. I think Carter's a coward too, by the by, because he's trying to take back what he said.
My boyfriend keeps trying to explain to me that it undermines the President's authority and makes us a laughingstock of the entire world when an ex President criticizes a President. I say it makes us intelligent. I wish I remember the quote, because I'm sure as hell nowhere near as eloquent, but there's a fairly well-known quote about how it's patriotic to question your government. I believe that every citizen, including people who once held office, has the right, nay, the duty to this country to question the government.
Ignore how you feel about the current President, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm asking, is it right or not for a citizen to question the government and the President? Is it any different if that citizen was once a President himself?
When Ford came out after his death and criticized Bush, I called him a coward, and I stand by it. What, for the sake of ettiquite you're not supposed to point out when you feel the person heading up the country you're part of (and had a hand in developing, having been President) is doing things poorly?
Now that Carter's done it too, I wonder if I'm the only person who feels that it's the right thing to do, no matter who you are or what position you have/had, to stand up and say something when you feel the country is being jerked around by someone doing things badly. I think Carter's a coward too, by the by, because he's trying to take back what he said.
My boyfriend keeps trying to explain to me that it undermines the President's authority and makes us a laughingstock of the entire world when an ex President criticizes a President. I say it makes us intelligent. I wish I remember the quote, because I'm sure as hell nowhere near as eloquent, but there's a fairly well-known quote about how it's patriotic to question your government. I believe that every citizen, including people who once held office, has the right, nay, the duty to this country to question the government.
Ignore how you feel about the current President, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm asking, is it right or not for a citizen to question the government and the President? Is it any different if that citizen was once a President himself?
Carter criticizes Bush - Sedruce