James «Jimmy» Carter , American politician of the Democratic Party, was the thirty-ninth president of the United States (1977-1981). Although he had important successes in foreign policy, such as the Camp David Peace Accords (peace treaty between Egypt and Israel), the SALT II treaty with the USSR (Strategic Arms Limitation) and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, there was an "interior incident »Which the press and the republicans used to weaken his government… the attack of a killer rabbit .
On April 20, 1979, Jimmy Carter was enjoying a pleasant and quiet day of fishing in a swamp in Plains (Georgia), his hometown, until... an animal, which emitted strange sounds, swam towards him with the intention of to get on the boat (¿?). Faced with this strange situation, the president took one of the oars and hit the water violently to scare him... The animal in question was a swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus ) typical of this swampy area and larger than the common rabbit, probably fleeing from some predator.
Image taken by security
That would not have been more than a simple anecdote if Jody Powell , press secretary for the Carter administration, wouldn't have told Brooks Jackson, laughing. , Associated Press White House correspondent, who leaked the story. On August 29, 1979, the Washington Post published the news on the front page, «The president attacked by a rabbit «. As the White House did not want to provide the photographs taken by the president's security, published years later during the Reagan administration, the ban on speculation and interpretation was lifted:a menacing and furious swamp rabbit swam up to the boat and tried to climb up to attack him; the president, to defend himself, took one of the oars and repelled the attack of that aggressive animal... Funny illustrations were even published.
The fact is that that rabbit, who should have been a Republican, served to weaken the Carter administration and to mock the president.
Sources:Washington Post, Nasril, The Straight Dope,