I have owed President Jimmy Carter an apology for 29 years. It's about time I made it public. He was right and I was wrong about his response to the Iranian hostage crisis.
When the Iranian hostage crisis went down, I didn't have a historical context for the middle east. I didn't know that the CIA had helped to overthrow the democratically elected government to re-install the Shah after the Iranian oil fields had been nationalized. I didn't know that the Shah was a brutal despot. What I did know, was that our embassy had been attacked, and some of the guys on "our team" were being held against their will. When you have been training for the "big game" for nearly three years, you think that is all you need to know.
Context and contrition below the fold...
In 1979 I was in the US Army. Many people without a military background assume that rank and file military people are either hawkish... wanting to kick some ass, or peaceful... not wanting to get into harm's way.
Neither of these views reflect my experience. Spending time in the military during times of peace is an odd thing. I imagine it is like being a fireman when there are no fires, or a swat team sniper when there are no crises. You train day and night for hostilities. You study weapons and tactics constantly. You drill and practice and wait for the phone to ring. You are mentally prepared to mete out violence on command.
The top of the chain of command in the military is the President. I don't know how the Joint Chiefs operate. I wasn't a high ranking officer. From the perspective of a lowly Sgt, the President tells us who to kill and what to break, and we say "Yes, Sir!" and begin hurting people and breaking things. To me, and many of my brothers in arms, failing to attack Iran was a curious choice that implied weakness.
In the years since, I have appreciated on a number of occasions that I was NOT asked to go and kill the people of Iran. My estimation of former President Carter has climbed continuously as he left office and continued his work for peace and justice.
My late apology was inspired by an interview with President Carter on April 28th on Jon Stewart's Daily Show last week. During the discussion, mention was made that the Bush administration had expressed displeasure at Carter's recent meeting with Hamas. Carter said that he did not receive word before the trip that the administration cared. Stewart sympathized with the administration's position a bit, asking the question - "During the Iranian hostage crisis, let's say Nixon had gone and met with..."
Carter interrupted him before he could finish the sentence.
"I would have thanked him from the bottom of my heart. We sent everyone who was willing to go."
Mr. Carter, you have consistently talked the talk and walked the walk. Please forgive my slow recognition of your truly honorable actions. I am thankful that I was not asked to kill innocent people to avoid a misplaced perception that you were a wimp. It was a difficult and complex situation, and, in retrospect, you handled it thoughtfully and well. I hope that future Presidents can learn from your outstanding example. I regret it took me so long to recognize the courage of your actions. It was a pleasure to serve under you.