Carter calls Arafat "a powerful human symbol"

President Reagan grew in stature even as his mind left him.

As President Carter's mind leaves him, he is shrinking before my eyes.

Former President Jimmy Carter said Thursday the death of Yasser Arafat robs the Palestinian people of "indispensable leadership" and he joined other American Middle East analysts in expressing hope that Arafat's successors will find peace with Israel.

Carter, architect of the 1978 Camp David agreement between Israel and Egypt, said Arafat "was the father of the modern Palestinian nationalist movement. A powerful human symbol and forceful advocate, Palestinians united behind him in their pursuit of a homeland."

Carter added he is hopeful an emerging Palestinian leadership can benefit from Arafat's experiences "and be successful in helping to forge a Palestinian state living in harmony with their Israeli neighbors."

"Palestine leadership can benefit from Arafat's experiences"? His experiences as what? A terrorist without equal?

Daniel Pipes, who is quoted in the same article, succinctly cuts through the crap.

Arafat "showed that it was possible through murder and deceit to become a Nobel Peace Prize winner, something that we hadn't known was possible."