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A role model for Honor; A credible critic of dishonorable government Sam Conant Often we forget that Jimmy Carter was our first "Born Again" president in modern times. But, he deeply disappointed the Stepford fundamentalists because he believed that the divine manifested itself in good deeds and caring, not in rigid, inflexible and harsh dogma. Many have criticized Carter for being a bit self-righteous, but few have challenged his integrity and decency -- characteristics sorely lacking in the Republican Party. In this book, which we have not yet read, Carter apparently takes off the gloves and pummels the Bush Administration. That alone is cause to find it of interest. Carter always has been cautious in his criticism, because he's a religious, tolerant man who is forgiving of sin. But the rogue, morally bankrupt, inept Bush Administration has apparently lit a fire in the man of faith from Plains, Georgia. Here is what one recent newspaper article had to report on "Our Endangered Values": Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president and self-appointed emissary to the world, was explaining in that genteel drawl of his the "hesitation and trepidation" he felt about breaking the traditional taboo against an ex-president criticizing a sitting one. Then he left his hesitation in the Georgia dust. Outlining what he called a "profound and unprecedented change in basic American policies" under the Bush administration, Carter said the invasion of Iraq was a moral and political disaster, and has left the United States in more danger from terrorists than before. Tax cuts for the wealthy and proposed spending cuts to social programs have demonstrated an "open and overt commitment to the rich at the expense of the poor," while the Bush administration has sacrificed the environment for business. And the United States, which Carter said under his administration solidified its place as a world leader for human rights, is now a pariah in many countries, particularly in the Middle East, not a beacon of justice. "I never dreamed years ago, in 2000 . . . that we would ever consider a legal authority for Americans to torture prisoners," he said. Carter, 81, has a new book out, and he is making the rounds to promote it. Unlike his previous 19 books, which ranged from memoir to historical novel, Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis (Simon & Schuster, $25) is overtly political, and critical of Bush's foreign and domestic policies. Carter, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is living proof that the radical right wing fundamentalists don't give a hoot about Christ. Otherwise, they would have embraced him and his presidency. Carter has learned that the agenda of the political evangelists is fear, power, bigotry and arrogance. It's not a matter of God and moral values. For the Bush supporters, it's a matter of expediency and politics. Carter may have made mistakes as President, but he never dragged the integrity of the United States Government through the gutter as the Busheviks have. He's had enough, and now he's speaking up. The man from Plains has a thing or two to say about how the Bush Administration has degraded our nation. Listen up.