I’m still not sure what to make of any of it, but I thought this reader deserved equal time:

Much has been made over the last 24 hours of the revelation that Jimmy Carter “interceded on behalf of a Nazi SS Guard.” But is that really what he did? The NY Sun republishes the letter written by Ann Bartesch Bresnen, daughter of Martin Bartesch, along with Carter’s handwritten note at the top of the first page. The plain language of Carter’s note makes clear he is not intervening on behalf of Martin Bartesch, but on behalf of Bartesch’s children and grandchildren. “I hope that in cases like this, that special consideration can be given to affected families for humanitarian reasons.” Carter’s not suggesting that OSI give any consideration at all to Mr. Bartesch. Rather, he’s asking that OSI consider the concerns of Mrs. Bresnen, who states that “My children and three other grandchildren will not have their grandparents around for birthdays, graduations, weddings and all those important occasions that we all cherish spending with our loved ones.” Is that a backdoor way of supporting Mr. Bartesch? I think it’s strained to read it that way…Carter’s not suggesting that Bartesch is innocent, or wrongly deported. There is a real-life impact that the deportation has on the family Mr. Bartesch created in America, the family which does not know him as the evil SS Guard, but knows him as “dad” or “grandpa.” Perhaps there could be a work-around by which OSI allowed Mr. Bartesch to attend his grandchildren’s wedding with US Marshall escort, for example, with the Bartesch family picking up the tab.