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Sept. 16, 2009 6:15 AM PT _This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts._ Former President Jimmy Carter, who

has a habit of stirring controversy, said this morning that “an overwhelming portion” of those opposing President Obama‘s policies are racist. In an interview with NBC’s Brian Williams,

Carter lobbed a bomb into Washington politics, already seething with passions over healthcare, federal spending and whether a congressman named Wilson should apologize to the House for

screaming “You lie!’ to a president. Here’s what Carter said: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy The charge is likely to ignite a firestorm of anger,

and could provoke a backlash among those who would oppose Obama’s healthcare reform whatever his racial identity. One site calls it evidence of a “failed ex-President making this ignorant,

outlandish charge.” Carter, who has been an ex-president for almost 30 years, has done this sort of thing before. The 39th president angered the Clinton White House with his frequent

diplomatic freelancing with various dictators around the world. Of course Carter has been an equal-opportunity thorn to White Houses of both parties, making life difficult for Republican

presidents as well as Democrats. Among other things, he called George W. Bush the worst president in history in international relations. The current bombshell is likely to make life

difficult for the Obama White House, which as MSNBC’s Chuck Todd noted this morning, will now have to rebut the impression that it played the race card to win votes on healthcare. Maybe it’s

not too late for Carter, who turns 85 on Oct. 1, to learn tact. -- Johanna Neuman For Twitter alerts on every new Ticket item. Click here. Or follow us @latimestot