Your Combined NFL/Presidential Legacy Wrap

Good Monday, Stroock's Books associates. 

It's nice to have everyone back home. 

More blessed rain last night and a quick burst expected this morning. 

Mrs. Stroock's Eagles took care of business against the Cowboys, 41-7. How 'bout them Cowboys. We're very happy for Eagles' running back Saquon Barkley. Good for him! He always struck us as a nice young man. A Rutgers alumnus too! The Jets were pathetic and actually lifted QB Aaron Rodgers against the Bills. At 40-14 the game wasn't even that close. How in the hell did the Giants (we didn't' see a single snap) score 45 points? 45 points! That's football, Susan. 

What we thought was a 5 January deadline turns out to be a 1 February deadline, so yay for us. Pressure relieved. 

Oh look, life imitates Israel Strikes: War of the Red Sea. Israel Radar (you should really follow this account) reports: 'Israel is looking into mobilizing Navy to impose naval blockade on Houthis in Yemen...'

One supposes one should talk about the passing of Jimmy Carter. Personally, Jimmy Carter is the first president we remember, and the Iranian Hostage Crisis is the first political event we recall. In the 80s Carter's name was a byword for failure and weakness. Already he was working hard to rehabilitate his image via charity. Carter certainly succeeded. 

The man's presidency was a failure and there's no rehabilitating it. That said we can still think of half a dozen good things Carter did in office. These include new weapons systems, Paul Volcker to the Fed, warning the Soviets against cracking down on the Polish Solidarity movement, and some regulatory reforms. Carter was a better president than Joe, and it's annoyed us these last four years when people compare Joe to Jimmy. Name one good thing Joe's done. Just one. Besides, Joe is a career political hustler. A farmer, Annapolis grad, and nuclear submariner, Jimmy Carter was certainly an interesting man. 

No president is as great as we think, no president is as bad as we think. Still Carter's legacy is inflation, stagflation, the Energy Crisis, the Iranian Hostage Crisis and national malaise.  Jimmy Carter was a bad president, easily the worst of the Cold War. America never looked weaker to the Soviets and the Middle East. Carter's ultimate legacy was Ronald Reagan, who was the best president of the Cold War. 

There's never been an ex-president like Jimmy Carter 'the most ex of ex-presidents' as the great PJ O'Rourke once wrote. We agree with the many conservative critics of Carter's charitable work. There was something preening and 'look at me' about it. Carter cozied up to dictators and added a veneer of legitimacy to fake commie elections. He was no friend of Israel and attacked her in the international community. Still, Carter did accomplish many fine works. Rest in Peace, sir. Later we shall say the Mourner's Kaddish for you.