Hearts, minds were Carter's focus

I have to respectfully disagree with the Aug. 25 letter, “Thank Carter for radical Islam.” The author ignores the cultural and religious friction that has stirred in the Middle East for centuries.Neither President Carter, nor any other U.S president, is responsible for the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East. It was there long before the United States existed. The author seems to forget that the rise in fundamentalist Islam does not exactly spawn from Iran, but rather Saudi Arabia. The author also seems to forget that Jimmy Carter was able to broker the longest-lasting peace accord the Middle East has ever seen.Carter's philosophy that diplomacy and ideas could win hearts and minds is one that Bush should have considered a long time ago. In fact, we should never forget that it was Bush who encouraged insurgents and terrorists to bring it on and in doing so encouraged insurgents to strike our men and women in the armed forces.It is easy to pick on Carter and his administration for the difficult times the country experienced while he was in office, and by no means would I argue that his administration was pristine. However, you do not need revisionist history to see that Carter was a president dedicated to peace and humanity. And peace and humanity are as noble a cause as any. Sean Fischer, Collings Lakes - Publicshed in the Atlantic City Presss, September 2, 2006