Provocative By Design
This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.
Jimmy Carter isn't slowing down.
Last month, I saw footage of him with Habitat For Humanity, building houses in India. The 82-year-old Sunday school teacher also has written more than 20 books.
The latest is titled, "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid." It's a provocative title, to be sure. When I asked him about it on Monday, he told me it was provocative by design. He said no one in America is debating Israel's policies with regard to the Palestinians, and that it's about time.
In the book, he calls the Bush White House and the current Congress "submissive to Israel," and he says the control and colonization of Palestinian land by the Israelis has to stop.
Before you dismiss the former president, remember that he was the one who brought Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin together for the Camp David accords. Carter laments the many missed opportunities since then, and warns that if peace doesn't come soon, Israel will only face an even-more-dangerous future.
Harry's daily commentary can be heard on many CBS Radio News affiliates across the country.