Jimmy Carter Deserves Another Prize: Best Fiction Writer in an Alleged Non-Fiction Book
Great catch and follow-up comment by Nasty Brutish & Short on a story the WORMs (Worn-Out Reactionary Media, formerly known as the Mainstream Media) will almost certainly ignore — The Carter Center of Emory University has lost a Middle East Fellow, namely Professor Kenneth Stein, “solely as a result of Carter’s new book, Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid” (link is to a post at Powerline, which has Stein’s full e-mail; also discussed by J-Pod and Goldberg at NRO’s The Corner).
Here’s the money paragraph from Stein’s resignation letter:
President Carter’s book on the Middle East, a title too inflammatory to even print, is not based on unvarnished analyses; it is replete with factual errors, copied materials not cited, superficialities, glaring omissions, and simply invented segments. Aside from the one-sided nature of the book, meant to provoke, there are recollections cited from meetings where I was the third person in the room, and my notes of those meetings show little similarity to points claimed in the book. Being a former President does not give one a unique privilege to invent information or to unpack it with cuts, deftly slanted to provide a particular outlook.
NB&S notes that a professor resigning as a result of similar literary falsehoods, liberties with the truth, and apparent plagiarism perpetrated by a conservative author would not be ignored by the media, as Mr. Stein’s resignation will almost surely be (Update — See below; coverage is moderate in combination with other criticisms of Carter’s book.). In fact, I think that person’s resignation would make Page A1 in the New York Times and Washington Post, and that he would be on all three networks’ morning talk shows within 48 hours.
Cross-posted at NewsBusters.org.
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UPDATE, Dec. 7: NY Times (”Former Aide Parts with Carter over Book” with placement not known) and WaPo (”Carter Book on Israel ‘Apartheid’ Sparks Bitter Debate” on Page A04) covered Stein’s resignation, both in context of widening criticism of Carter’s book. A partial list of vocal critics includes –
- Attorney Alan Deshowitz.
- The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles
- David Makovsky, director of the Project on the Middle East Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
- Republican Jewish Coalition executive director Matthew Brooks.
- Asaf Romirowsky, who column recalls “Resolution 242,” an early UN resolution that would have given back most occupied territories that was rejected by Arab states, who then formulated their mantra, which though seldom uttered currently, still holds in reality — “No peace, no recognition, no negotiation.” Carter’s book fails to mention that Arab states rejected what he claims would have worked.
TV coverage appears to be light to non-existent, which isn’t necessarily a surprise, since the Iraq Study Group is crowding out a lot of other news.
Carter’s book, combined with Stein’s resignation, based on a review of op-eds, appears to be a straw that broke the camel’s back for a lot of Carter’s defenders. Not that Investors Business Daily is one of them, but IBD has probably the most accurate take on things in their Wednesday editorial:
As an ex-president edges ever closer to the far-left fringe, once-staunch allies are beginning to cut their ties. Sadly, we’re not surprised.
….. Carter no doubt thinks that because he once brokered peace talks between Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin at Camp David he has the moral and intellectual heft to pontificate on the Mideast’s ills. He doesn’t.
Fact is, Carter has long since joined the Israel-hating left — where true anti-Semitism resides today.….. those who go on and on about Carter being “the greatest living ex-president” need to get a grip. He isn’t. He’s a nuisance and a kook.
UPDATE 2, Dec. 7: Jack Tapper weighs in at ABC News’ Political Punch blog.
