presidential blunders

If you aspire to be president of the United States, it's probably not a good idea to be seen embracing the paranormal, such as UFOs. But that's just what happened to Jimmy Carter during the 1976 campaign. A 1973 report that then Georgia Governor Carter filed with the International UFO Bureau describes his UFO sighting that occurred shortly after dark in October 1969 in Leary, Georgia, while standing outside with other members of the Leary Georgia Lions Club. According to the report, which appears handwritten by Carter, the object was "at one time as bright as the Moon." During the 1976 campaign, Carter's UFO sighting was an embarrassment and distraction, though he answered reporters honestly: "It was the darndest thing I've ever seen. It was big, it was very bright, it changed colors and it was about the size of the moon. We watched it for ten minutes, but none of us could figure out what it was. One thing's for sure, I'll never make fun of people who say they've seen unidentified objects in the sky. If I become president, I'll make every piece of information this country has about UFO sightings available to the public and the scientists." Here are links to Carter's UFO report: Page one; Page two. (Photograph: Alliance Studying Paranormal Experiences)