The ultimate liberal endorsement? View co-host and 9/11 Truther Rosie O'Donnell on Thursday gushed over Jimmy Carter: "He's not just a Democrat. I think he is a man of peace." O'Donnell, who on Tuesday blamed the creation of ISIS on the United States, continued, "He is my favorite president ever and, I think, probably, the most pious human being I've ever met in my life."
She added, "I have tremendous respect, admiration for him and his wife." Co-host Whoopi Goldberg offered an unimpressed shrug. She responded, "He's okay." The topic came up on the show after Carter spoke out, criticizing Obama's handling of the terror group ISIS.
Co-host Nicolle Wallace marveled, "Carter has been harsher on Obama than George W. Bush ever has been or would be."
A partial transcript of the October 9 segment is below:
11:27
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: President Carter, you all remember Jimmy Carter, he's the latest critic of President Obama claiming he waited to long to address the threat posed by ISIS. And I think that's funny because they said the same thing about him, that he waited too long before he took any action. So, what is this?
NICOLLE WALLACE: To me, I know we talked earlier this week about President Obama's former Defense secretary, came out and offered very similar criticism. What's so remarkable to me about Jimmy Carter criticizing president Obama is if you look throughout American history there's no one on the spectrum more closely lined with President Obama's foreign policy, which he's made an asset to much more restrained. I mean, I think people that are his supporters like that about him. They were tired of an aggressive foreign policy. But for Jimmy Carter now to come out and say it's not enough –and to me, you could take the Carter quotes and say who said this and they could have come from any Republican. Talking about his Middle East policy: "It changes from time to time. I noticed two of his Secretaries of Defense were very critical of the lack of reaction." This has been the Republican critique for six years and to now hear it come from Democrats is stunning to me.
...
WALLACE: Put it this way, Carter has been harsher on Obama than George W. Bush ever has been or would be.
ROSIE O'DONNELL: And I think Jimmy Carter is an outlier in many ways. He's not just a Democrat. I think he is a man of peace.
WALLACE: You love him, right? He's one of your favorites?
O'DONNELL: He is my favorite president ever and, I think, probably, the most pious human being I've ever met in my life. And I have tremendous respect, admiration for him and his wife.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG [Pauses and then shrugs]: He's okay.
