Jimmy Carter is better remembered for his work as an ex-president than for what he did in the White House. In this collection of interviews, Carter comes across as articulate and firmly grounded. He held his own against the formidable William F. Buckley and a pestering reporter from Playboy; he was on point with the well-prepared Jim Lehrer and—in his last 2021 interview—with PBS’ genial Judy Woodruff.
By today’s political standards, Carter fits nowhere. In his Playboy interview, he opposed homosexuality and abortion yet argued for social safety nets and opposition to war. Carter was open to experience and hung around with Hunter S. Thompson and Greg Allman. He allowed Vietnam-era draft who fled overseas to return home without penalty, drawing the ire of the right wing. And he negotiated with Panama for sovereignty over the canal. He might be described as a compassionate conservative who cared about the common good, a rarity in today’s world.
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