Dear Editor,

On accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, former President Jimmy Carter declared: "War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good."

First, there are no necessary evils. If something is truly evil, there's no way it can be necessary, and if it is truly necessary to the well-being of a rational man's life, it's not evil, but good.

Second, there is such a thing as a good war. The war against Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was good. A war to decimate Osama bin Laden and others of his ilk is equally necessary and good.

Given the premise that evil exists and that certain people will act in an evil and violent manner, a rational and just war is synonymous with self-defense. Self-defense is good. Only someone like Mr. Carter -- whose policies nearly lost the Cold War against the Soviet Union and contributed to the establishment of the No. 1 sponsor of terrorism in the world today (Iran) -- could utter such a statement. With him, they're not merely platitudes. He really believes this nonsense. His four disastrous years in office prove it.

To honor him with this prize shows that the true motives behind the award are neither noble nor peaceful.

Michael J. Hurd
Chevy Chase, MD