Carter Says He Is 'Disturbed and Angry' About Changes in U.S. Caused by Bush Leadership

ABC News
Carter 'Disturbed' by Direction of U.S.
Carter Says He Is 'Disturbed and Angry' About Changes in U.S. Caused by Bush Leadership
The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Former President Jimmy Carter, on a tour to promote his latest book, is sharply questioning the direction the Bush administration has taken the country.

"Everywhere you go, you hear, 'What has happened to the United States of America? We thought you used to be the champion of human rights. We thought you used to protect the environment. We thought you used to believe in the separation of church and state,'" Carter said Friday at Unity Temple.

"I felt so disturbed and angry about this radical change in America," he said.

Carter is promoting his 20th book, "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis," which he describes as his first political book.

He placed responsibility for that moral crisis largely on the Bush administration, citing a pre-emptive war policy, inadequate attention to the environment, and the use of torture against some prisoners.

About 1,200 people waited to have books signed by the 39th president.