I really can't comment on whether Carter was good or bad for the military. My own experience in the military showed me that there's good and bad in all levels of our fighting forces and, I hate to say it, but the percentage of what I consider less than stellar individuals in uniform is much higher than the percentage in the general population. Who they support or diss is taken with a major grain of salt.

If Carter riled up things in the military while he was in office, it's just as possible that there was true justification for the shakeups and downsizing he did as the likelihood that he overstepped his bounds. Either way, the real hawks in the military would of course be outraged. My contention here is that just because people screamed over his actions does not mean the actions were not completely justified. Our armed forces are a truely effective fighting force and it gives me comfort to know we can protect ourselves from nearly any threat but they are also extremely bloated and inefficient in many ways. That condition has extended throughout my lifetime, through presidents of all parties.

What I do know about Jimmy Carter is that he's a firm Constitutionalist and governed with strong convictions about the separation of church and state in spite of his strong religious leanings. He is respected around the world for his honesty and compassion. Not many other American politicians have commanded that esteem. Think what you want about his policies and effectiveness in his term but I'd argue til my voice was raw about his integrity.