Like the sleazy politician he is, it seems as if former President Jimmy Carter's (D) apology to Jews and request for forgiveness regarding his numerous negative statements about Israel was as opportunistic as it was phony. But we knew that.

Not so coincidentally his grandson, Jason Carter, is considering running for a seat in the Georgia state senate from a district with a large Jewish population--all of maybe 2% of the electorate Carter claims. According to the JTA , the younger Carter, seemingly embarrassed by grandpops

In a statement issued through his campaign manager, the younger Carter said the statement was not connected to his campaign.

"While I was very happy to see my grandfather's letter, it was completely unrelated to my campaign. The letter is a product of discussions with some of his friends in the Jewish community that have been going on for a long time. I, like many others, see this as a great step towards reconciliation," Jason Carter said in the statement. "As for my campaign, I intend to reach out to all people in District 42 and work hard to earn their trust and their votes. Ultimately, this campaign will focus on the people of this district and the issues that a good advocate in the Georgia State Senate can affect, including fixing a broken transportation system, getting the economy moving again, and providing a first-class education to our kids."

But

It seemed clear, however, that Jason Carter saw the apology, issued earlier this month through JTA, as a means of outreach.

Certainly the young Carter should be judged on his own merits, not on his grandfather's. But voters of all backgrounds certainly have the right and the duty to check out those merits and the influence of the very senior Carter beyond the platitudes before they cast their ballot.