[319]
On January 16, 1989, prior to the inauguration of George H. W. Bush, Carter expressed to fellow former president Ford that Reagan had experienced a media honeymoon, saying that he believed Reagan's immediate successor would be less fortunate.[320]
Carter had a mostly negative relationship with Bill Clinton, who snubbed him from his inauguration ceremony. He doubted the morality of the Clinton administration, particularly for the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the pardon of Marc Rich.[321]
During the presidency of George W. Bush, Carter stated his opposition to the Iraq War,[322] and what he considered an attempt on the part of Bush and Tony Blair to oust Saddam Hussein through the usage of "lies and misinterpretations".[323] In May 2007, Carter stated the Bush administration "has been the worst in history" in terms of its impact in foreign affairs,[324] and later stated he was just comparing Bush's tenure to that of Richard Nixon.[325] Carter's comments received a response from the Bush administration in the form of Tony Fratto saying Carter was increasing his irrelevance with his commentary.