Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter arrives at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan January 2, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

    WASHINGTON, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Monday clarified his criticism of President George W. Bush that appeared in an Arkansas newspaper on Saturday.

    The Bush administration "has been the worst in history," Carter was quoted by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as saying. And his remarks prompted an angry reaction from the White House, which said Carter was "increasingly irrelevant."

    On NBC's "Today" show Monday morning, the former president said his words were "perhaps careless or misinterpreted."

    Carter said he was only responding to a question about foreign policy, comparing the Bush administration to that of Richard Nixon.

    "I wasn't comparing the overall administration and I certainly was not talking personally," said Carter, who was U.S. president from 1977 to 1981.

    "I'm careful not to criticize any president personally."

    Carter said what he really meant was that Bush's foreign policy is "much worse" than Nixon's.

Carter: Bush administration "worst in history"

    BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has lashed out at George W. Bush's presidency, calling his administration "the worst in history" in international relations.

    "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history," said Carter in an interview with The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette released Saturday.

    The Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2002 came down hard on the Iraq war, saying Bush had taken a "radical departure from all previous administration policies." Full story