Parents have always told their children to respect and take care of their elders. In the dusk of their lives, elderly folks might suffer from senility. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of senile is "relating to, exhibiting or characteristic of old age: exhibiting a loss of cognitive abilities."

With this definition as the base of examination, it is time for the family of former president Jimmy Carter to call the men in white pants and jackets to escort grandpa back to the home.

For the past week, Carter has been jetting across the globe in hopes of repairing relations between the United States, Palestine and Israel. On a trip to the Middle East, during which he had no authority to represent the United States, Carter met with Hamas leaders. According to the Web site for the Council on Foreign Relations, Hamas is an extremist group that worked closely with the former terrorist leader Yasser Arafat. In 2006, Hamas dominated the Palestinian Authority's legislative elections to gain control of the Palestinian government.

Due to the Bush Doctrine and years of commitment to Israel, the United States has avoided communication with the Hamas government. But have no fear, here comes President Carter with hopes of orchestrating a peace deal to fix the whole situation.

In 1979, Carter was successful in orchestrating a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel that has since held strong, but even a blind kid hits a baseball every once in a while.

The one-term president, who embarrassed the United States on the global scale, believes he is the peacemaker of the Middle East. Perhaps in his old age, Carter has forgotten what happens when he tries to "talk" with extremist groups, as evidenced by the U.S. embassy hostage debacle in Iran in 1979.

The Associated Press reported on April 21 that Carter announced Hamas was willing "to accept the right of the Jewish state to 'live as a neighbor next door in peace.'" Khaled Mashaal, a top Hamas leader who met with Carter, said the group was prepared to offer a "10-year truce if [Israel] withdraws from all lands seized in the 1967 war."

How gracious of the murderous thugs to offer peace for only 10 years as long as Israel gives up half the city of Jerusalem and other land holdings it acquired from a war it did not start.

In another Associated Press article published April 21, only a few hours after Carter proclaimed his efforts a success, Hamas decided to reject Carter's suggestion to stop firing rockets into Israel for only one month to generate goodwill. But apparently we should still trust Carter when he says Hamas is willing to make a peace deal.

After this backstabbing action, it is no surprise Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected a meeting with Carter on this trip.

Carter is no President Nixon opening up China to relations with the United States after leaving office, and he cannot rewrite his flaws as a president with more stupidity. President Carter, please recognize the signs of senility and stay on your peanut farm.

Brett King is a senior in political science. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.