At a time when our nation was exhausted by war, stunned by selfishness, corruption, divisiveness, and cynicism, there appeared on the horizon a man who seemed to represent higher values; decency, fairness, generosity, and a strict code of principles. These values were not a patina, slathered on for political purposes; they defined him to his core – a rare real-life Dudley Do-Right, who, at just this moment, ascended the ladder, skipping rungs, and became President Jimmy Carter.
These principles of fairness, which were so loved in the abstract, became problematic in practice, once he took office. Though he had been a naval officer, one of his first acts was to pardon hundreds of thousands of those who had evaded the draft during the Vietnam War. And, though president of the most powerful nation on Earth, he overcame strong opposition to negotiate the return the Panama Canal to Panama.
Even many who didn't care for Jimmy Carter as president can't help but admire the work he has done since leaving office. In addition to his well-known work with Habitat for Humanity, the Carter Center has played a role in negotiating peace in many conflicts worldwide. And their efforts to eradicate Guinea Worm Disease, which caused extreme suffering for over 3.5 million people each year, has been largely successful, decreasing to only thirteen known cases last year.
His partner through all of this—equal partner in every way—has been his wife, Rosalyn. Their lifelong love would be an epic story, even if that's all there was.
With him now in hospice care, we will soon lose Jimmy Carter as a living human. But his ideals, and the example he set in living up to them will endure in the hears of all who accept the challenge.
My personal Mount Olympus is sparsely populated – and even among those I would elevate on high, few are politicians. But Jimmy Carter stands at the paramount.
