I was deeply disturbed when I read Aaron Covert’s “Living Deep in BI’s Enemy Territory” letter of July 9. Though I disagreed with almost every point Aaron made, one bold assertion stood out more than the others.

Covert lists several examples of what he views as “the worst leadership in the history of man,” citing presidents Carter, Roosevelt and Clinton, specifically.

My history disagrees with Covert’s history.

President Carter oversaw the signing of the Camp David Accords. The treaty was a huge step towards peace, but it was hardly what I would call “appeasement of Middle Eastern leaders,” as it was so unpopular in the region that Egypt was suspended from the Arab League and Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981. The only appeasement that I can think of during Carter’s presidency was towards the people of the United States, as he spoke favorably of the U.S.-backed Shah despite his track record of human rights violations.

It’s true that FDR pursued isolationism throughout the 1930s, as had every president since Woodrow Wilson. But it was in fact the trade sanctions that the U.S. imposed upon Japan in response to the invasion of China that triggered the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Covert claims that Clinton was ignorant of Al-Qaeda. History claims that agents of Osama bin Laden tried to assassinate Clinton in the Philippines in 1996. Attempts by the U.S. military to find and kill bin Laden also began under Clinton, to the point where the president was accused of obsessing over bin Laden.

Covert’s original statement places such leaders as Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il and Saddam Hussein in higher regard than the aforementioned Democratic presidents. Perhaps, in the future, Aaron should check his facts before he makes such bold claims as “the worst leadership in the history of man.”

Bryan Peterson, age 17

Bainbridge Island