What was the deal with Jimmy Carter and the killer rabbit? Is there a photograph around?
The rabbit incident happened on April 20 1979 while Carter was taking a few days off in Plains, Georgia. He was fishing from a canoe in a pond when he spotted a rabbit swimming toward him. It was never precisely determined what the rabbit’s problem was. Carter later speculated that it was fleeing a predator. Whatever the case, it was definitely a troubled rabbit. “It was hissing menacingly, its teeth flashing and nostrils flared and making straight for the president,” a press account said. Carter did what he could to protect himself. Initially it was reported that he had hit the rabbit with his paddle. Realizing this would not play well with the Rabbit Lovers Guild, Carter later clarified that he had merely splashed water at the rabbit, which then swam off toward shore. A White House photographer, ever alert to history’s pivotal moments, snapped a picture of the encounter for posterity. Carter’s own staff was skeptical when he told the rabbit story back at the White House. Some venture
