Jimmy Carter in AJC: 'A drastic ... change in the basic values of our country'

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has a Q&A with Jimmy Carter, whose new book is selling well. Here's just a sample: "Q: Do the changes in the country's actions reflect a change in the morals or values of the citizens?

A: I don't say that at all, and I don't believe I insinuate that, and I've been very careful in this book not to have any personal references to the president. That's not the point. The point is that under this administration, there's been a drastic and dramatic and unprecedented change in the basic values of our country, and the basic policies of our government. They relate to a wide range of measures of what America is. In the case of peace, we've always had a philosophy in this country — certainly in the last 100 years — that we don't invade another country, we don't attack another people with bombs or bullets or missiles, unless our own security is directly threatened. That was the policy of Ronald Reagan, that was the policy of George Bush senior, that was the policy of Dwight Eisenhower and Gerald Ford, of Democrats and Republicans. Now we have a new, startling policy, in my opinion, of pre-emptive war. Where the president announced publicly, from now on our policy will be, we reserve the right to attack another country ... that's a dramatic change."