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At 100 years old, Jimmy Carter was the longest living president of the United States. During those many years, his accomplishments, challenges, and public service will largely define his legacy. And yet, it is his character of truth, honesty, and love for his fellow human beings that distinguishes him both as president and in the years following his presidency. In a word, he was a genuinely good person and that proved to be both his strength and his weakness.
I first met Jimmy Carter more than 50 years ago in California. It was at a small fundraiser hosted by a good Monterey Democrat to introduce this Georgia governor to the community. Nobody knew who Carter was or what exactly he was running for. But when he spoke, he had the kind gentle approach of a Southern gentleman who deeply cared for his country. It was his character more than his words that left an impression with his audience.
The next time we met was at a fundraiser in San Francisco. I was running for Congress for the central coast of California and Carter was running for president of the United States. I brought my youngest son Jimmy with me to meet another Jimmy. He embraced my son with the words "I really like your name!" Jimmy is now a member of Congress and never forgot those words. He too remembers Carter as a genuinely good person.
Carter ran on the pledge that he would never lie to the American people. His character was formed by his deeply religious faith that gave him a strong sense of right and wrong. That combined with the discipline he learned during his military service that taught him that you follow orders without question. He had a strong work ethic from his years on his family's peanut farm. He expected others to work hard, to be honest, and to respect what's right. These values were what his character was all about and his fervent hope was that others would share those values in pursuing a better America.
Both Carter and I were elected on Nov. 2, 1976. He became the 39th President of the United States, and I was a new member of Congress. We both headed to Washington in the wake of both Vietnam and Watergate. There was tremendous hope that a new president could restore the credibility of a nation so badly damaged by war and scandal. Like all newly elected presidents, Carter believed that the Congress would work with him to enact the necessary reforms. And like all newly elected presidents, he found out that Washington does not necessarily work that way. Doing what is right is not enough. You have to fight for support and every vote. You have to be willing to listen, to compromise, to consult, to negotiate, to buy and sell if necessary. Lincoln learned that lesson in fighting for the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. Carter struggled with that political dilemma and it led to early conflict in the relationships of the branches of government.
He got off on the wrong foot by cutting off funding for what he believed were wasteful water projects without consulting with Congress. That offended many of the senior members of Congress. The lack of trust resulted in a difficult relationship between the White House and Capitol Hill. He wanted to make government "competent and compassionate," but these were high expectations that were not easily achieved. As he struggled to work with Congress, he was able to get bills passed creating the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, and the expansion of the National Park system. He also learned that as commander-in-chief, he had greater power to get things done for the nation without having to engage in political give and take. He negotiated the Camp David Accords, the Salt II Treaty limiting nuclear arms with Russia, the Panama Canal Treaty and advanced his belief that the United States should stand strong for human rights in the world.
But domestic issues like inflation, high interest rates, low growth and an energy crisis continued to undermine his support from the American people. And when he felt that providing refuge to the Shah of Iran was the morally right thing to do, it created a backlash with protesters in Iran who took over the U.S. Embassy, taking U.S. personnel hostage. That crisis, exasperated by the failure of the attempted rescue mission, contributed to Ronald Reagan's defeat of Carter in the 1980 election.
But, in many ways, that election represented a liberation of Carter. He was now free to follow the dictates of his conscience and his values, to pursue what he believed was his primary goal in life—doing good on behalf of his fellow human beings. He monitored more than 100 elections around the world, fought diseases, struggled to raise living standards for the poor, advocated for human rights, took on missions to promote peace from Haiti to Bosnia and worked with Habitat for Humanity to build needed housing for the poor and underprivileged. Carter was free to be a genuinely good person. And it brought him the Nobel peace prize.
The presenter of the prize made a comment that summarized the clash between Carter's character and values and the price of politics—he said that although Carter had a mixed record as president, he is "the best ex-president in the history of the United States."
So, although his achievements and accomplishments were significant both as a president and as a former president, the enduring quality of Jimmy Carter, through thick and thin, was his character. He truly was a good person who possessed the zeal of a missionary and dedication of a public servant in trying to make a difference in people's lives. Despite the struggles and political challenges, Carter found fulfillment in his long life because he never sacrificed his character and moral values to political success. He was a good man and that will be his enduring legacy.
Leon E. Panetta is a former secretary of defense and member of Congress.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
