Carter Would Rather Fish Than Schmooze

CHICAGO (AllPolitics, Aug. 26) -- Was it a Clinton snub of Carter, a Carter snub of Clinton, or none of the above? What's clear is only that former President Jimmy Carter -- the only former Democratic president still living -- won't be attending this year's Democratic National Convention.

His absence "is sort of a gap," concedes Democratic National Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, a Connecticut senator. Carter hasn't missed a Democratic convention since leaving office in 1981.

This time he chose instead to go fly fishing with TBS owner Ted Turner in Montana.

The former president has assured Clinton of his support. "I have participated in the last three conventions when we did not have an incumbent president to re-elect, but will now follow the custom established during the past 40 years by other former Democratic presidents, including Harry Truman, who only attended the first convention after he left office," Carter said in an Aug. 9 statement.

Newsweek reported that Clinton had not invited Carter to participate, a charge denied by Carter spokeswoman Deanna Congileo.

"President Carter was invited by the national committee chairman to attend the convention and he was also invited by President Clinton," she told The Associated Press. "They spoke on the phone about it."

Carter Would Rather Fish Than Schmooze

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