Is It Fair to Compare Obama with Carter?

In early 1979, President Jimmy Carter facilitated the overthrow of Iran's shah by Islamic radicals.  The shah was no Thomas Jefferson, but in the Middle East, non-authoritarian leaders are torn to shreds.  And yet the shah was our ally.

The radicals, for their part, were not won over by Carter's actions; rather, they despised our stupidity in helping their rise to power.  On February 14, 1979, the American ambassador in neighboring Afghanistan was killed by Islamic radicals.  On September 4, 1979, the American embassy in Tehran was invaded and our diplomats taken hostage by a mob shouting "Death to America."  The hostages were released on January 20, 1981, the date of Reagan's inauguration.