Jimmie Carter, the most French of all former presidents, has repeatedly slammed the president on Iraq.

Last year, in venues ranging from CNN to National Public Radio, Mr. Carter predicted that Iraq would not be ready for a January election, compared the situation there to the Vietnam War and implied that “the control of oil” was a major reason for the U.S. military presence in Iraq….

As recently as three weeks ago, Mr. Carter predicted low turnout and an unrepresentative result for the Iraq election.

“Whether it’s 30 percent turnout or 50 percent turnout, almost entirely Shi’ites and Kurds and just a very few Sunnis, I think, the White House will claim it’s a success,” Mr. Carter told Matt Lauer on the “Today” show on Jan. 19….

“What we have to do, obviously, is to create a peaceful environment there where at least the United Nations, with its courageous representatives, can come in and help conduct an honest election,” said Mr. Carter, adding that he did not “see any possibility of this happening” in time for the January elections

Giving credit where credit is due, Carter has expressed grudging approval:

Former President Jimmy Carter, who predicted that elections in Iraq would fail and in the past year described the Bush administration’s policy there as a quagmire, this week ended 10 days of silence to declare the historic Iraqi vote “a very successful effort.”

“I hope that we’ll have every success in Iraq,” Mr. Carter said in a CNN interview. “And that election, I think, was a surprisingly good step forward.”

Thus proving that at least Carter is a better man than “cut glass” Garofalo.