Carter Claims Criticism of Bush Was 'misinterpreted'

The former US president Jimmy Carter rowed back today from his criticism of George Bush's presidency as the worst in US history.

He did not, however, backtrack on his equally harsh personal remarks about Tony Blair for supporting the US invasion of Iraq.

After an unusually strong reprimand from the White House yesterday, which described him as reckless, Mr Carter told reporters today that his remarks about Mr Bush were "careless or misinterpreted".

At the weekend, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette published an interview quoting him saying: "I think, as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history."

Mr Carter said today he had made the comment in the context of a question comparing the Bush administration's foreign policy to that of president Richard Nixon.

"And I think Richard Nixon had a very good and productive foreign policy and my remarks were maybe careless or misinterpreted. But I wasn't comparing the overall administration and I was certainly not talking personally about any president," Mr Carter said.

He added: "I think this administration's foreign policy compared to president Nixon's was much worse." But he said he did not mean to call it the worst in history.

"No, that's not what I wanted to say. I wasn't comparing this administration with other administrations back through history but just with president Nixon."

In an audio clip posted on the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's website, Mr Carter could be heard responding to an interviewer who asked: "which president was worse, George W Bush or Richard Nixon?"

Mr Carter said today: "I should have avoided the question. I should have been more careful."

Although he has been a constant septic about Mr Bush's foreign policy, Mr Carter has tended to refrain from personal criticism of the president.

Mr Carter left office in 1981 and has since been running the Carter Center for promoting human rights worldwide. He has been at the center of controversy in recent months after writing a book condemned by pro-Israeli sympathizers as allegedly too biased in favor of Palestinians.

Mr Carter did not backtrack today on comments about Mr Blair's close relationship with Mr Bush in a separate interview with the BBC that went out over the weekend. "Abominable. Loyal, blind, apparently subservient," Mr Carter said when asked how he would characterize the prime minister's relationship with Mr Bush.

Responding to White House criticism that the former president was increasingly irrelevant, Mr Carter said today: "Well, I don't claim to have any relevancy. I have a completely unofficial capacity. The only thing I lead is the Carter Center. We've never claimed to have any authority. It's just a non-governmental organization."

Tony Fratto, the deputy White House press secretary, said today about Mr Carter's backtracking: "I think it just highlights the importance of being careful in choosing your words. I'll just leave it at that."