While many people
disagreed with President Carter on his policies, even those opposed to him have
to admit he has been the greatest ex-president when it came to his continuing efforts
to save the world and the people in the world.
Jimmy Carter had no
interest in padding his pockets with $23 million in speaking fees and he used
his time working for peace, better health, honest elections, and better housing
for all people, not just his supporters.
People around the world
have benefited and will continue to benefit from the Carter Foundation and the
good it has brought to mankind. His
revelations at the news conference about his battle with cancer, was historic in
terms of transparency, something all subsequent presidents have largely
ignored, and full of hope.
The only time he did not
smile was when he addressed his unfinished agenda and mused that our relations
with Israel
and the Palestinians was the worst he ever witnessed. As a result, his goal of peace in the Middle East remains far from settled.
One of the highlights in
humor came when he said he received a well-wisher call from Secretary of State
John Kerry, someone he had not talked to in a long time.
We all wish him well in
his struggle and I hope those with political aspirations will heed his warning
that we have failed in foreign policy in crucial areas.
.