Jimmy Carter's rabbit incident
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Jimmy Carter's rabbit incident ( English Jimmy Carter rabbit incident , also called killer rabbit attack by the media ) occurred on April 20, 1979 during a boat and fishing trip of US President Jimmy Carter .
Event flow
Carter had gone fishing alone in his hometown of Plains, Georgia . According to the president, a dog-hunted rabbit “ jumped into the water and swam towards my boat. When it was almost there, I splashed some water with a paddle. "(" He jumped in the water and swam toward my boat. When he got almost there, I splashed some water with a paddle. ")
After Carter returned to office, his staff refused to take the story from him and insisted that a rabbit could not swim and it would never approach a man in threatening posture. However, the incident was filmed by a White House photographer .
Media reception
Jody Powell , White House press secretary , mentioned the incident on August 28, 1979 to AP correspondent Brooks Jackson, who forwarded the story to his news agency the next day . The story "President Attacked by Rabbit" made the front cover of the Washington Post . Since the White House refused to release the photo in question, the newspaper used as a parody of a cartoon for the film Jaws (ger .: Jaws ) under the heading "PAWS" ( paws , even cowards ) as an illustration. The White House continued to refuse to release the photo of the incident until it surfaced during the Reagan administration and the story received a revival.
In Powell's 1986 book, The Other Side of the Story, he told the story as follows:
“On closer inspection, the animal turned out to be a rabbit. Not a cute, Easter bunny-like rabbit, but one of those splayefoot peculiarities that we called swamp rabbits when I was growing up. "
“The animal was obviously in distress, or probably crazy. The president admitted having had limited experience with raging rabbits. He was unable to come to a definitive conclusion about the rabbit's condition. What was obvious, however, was that this big, wet animal, with its strange hissing noises and grinding of teeth, was determined to get into the presidential boat. "
"Upon closer inspection, the animal turned out to be a rabbit. Not one of your cutesy, Easter Bunny-type rabbits, but one of those big splay-footed things that we called swamp rabbits when I was growing up. "
"The animal was clearly in distress, or perhaps berserk. The President confessed to having had limited experience with enraged rabbits. He was unable to reach a definite conclusion about its state of mind. What was obvious, however, was that this large, wet animal, making strange hissing noises and gnashing its teeth, was intent upon climbing into the Presidential boat. "
The bog rabbit incident became fodder for political and ideological opponents who tried to portray Carter's presidency as unfortunate and weak.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jimmy Carter explains 'rabbit attack'
- ↑ American Presidents Blog: President Carter and the Killer Rabbit
- ^ President Jimmy Carter and the "killer rabbit" - the true story, with the picture
- ↑ The Straight Dope: What was the deal with Jimmy Carter and the killer rabbit?
- ↑ Jimmy Carter's 'Killer Rabbit' - 1979