You Never Get Something For Nothing

Claudia Rosett has an excellent piece up at the National Review Online titled, "The Question of Carter,s Cash". Here is an excerpt.

In recent weeks, a number of articles have noted that Carter's anti-Israeli views coincide with those of some of the center's prime financial backers, including the government of Saudi Arabia and the foundation of Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, whose offer of $10 million to New York City just after Sept. 11 was rejected by then-mayor Rudy Giuliani because it came wrapped in the suggestion that America rethink its support of Israel. Other big donors listed in the Carter Center's annual reports include the Sultanate of Oman and the sultan himself; the government of the United Arab Emirates; and a brother of Osama bin Laden, Bakr BinLadin, for the Saudi BinLadin Group. Of lesser heft, but still large, are contributions from assorted development funds of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as of OPEC, whose membership includes oil-rich Arab states, Nigeria (whose government is also a big donor to the Carter Center), and Venezuela (whose anti-American strongman Hugo Chavez benefited in a 2004 election from the highly controversial monitoring efforts of the Carter Center).

As I read the article, I couldn't help but think…

If your mission is to bring peace to the world, why would you accept so much money from sources that have done so much to damage world peace?

Does this mean that former President Carter is on the take?

That's not for me to say.

But, if he can garner that much money from his Arab friends today, it makes me wonder what he might have done for those people while he was still President…

Full disclosure about donations to the Carter Center might help answer those questions.

[Hat Tip: Hot Air]