Carter wants to chat with Hizballah

Ever the friend of terrorists, Carter says he is ready to meet with Hizballah
Dec. 10, 2008

Taking a page from the dominating Democratic playbook of concilitory talk rather than taking a stand, former United States President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday he'd meet with terrorist group Hizballah if they would deign to meet with him.

In yet another let's-meet-with-terrorists spasm, or 'conciliatory diplomacy,' emantating from the Dems these days, Carter made this announcement while in Lebanon, where he will consider whether his organization will take part in monitoring the fractious country's elections next year.

The U.S. considers Hizballah, which means Party of Allah in Arabic, a terrorist organization.

"I am going to meet with all of the political parties as possible," Carter said. "I understand that several leaders of Hizballah said they were not going to meet with any president or former president of the United States, so I don't know yet."

Hizballah has not decided whether it wil meet with Carter though. Prez-elect Obama has displayed the same desire to meet with those who consider the U.S. the Great Satan. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, however, already turned down Obama, basically responding: "who says we want to meet with you?"

Since Hizballah gets its marching orders/money/weapons from Iran, its likely it will have the same response.

Hizballah has killed more Americans than any other terrorist groups except for Al Qaeda including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut that killed 241; two attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and the 1985 TWA hijacking that killed an American serviceman on board.

This is the same group antagonizing Israel's northern border. Hizballah picked a war with Israel in 2006, abducting two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid and launching more than 3,000 rockets at Israel in just one month.

Carter was criticized in April for meeting with exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Meshal. The U.S. also labels Hamas a terrorist organization. The meeting with Meshal, however, led to the delivery of a handwritten letter from Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas-linked militants near the Gaza border in 2006, to his parents. Shalit remains in captivity.