Remembering President Jimmy Carter: Not your stereotypical politician

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Jimmy Carter was not your stereotypical politician. He was a deeply religious man and more of a moral leader than a political one. I had the good fortune to interview him on three occasions and to join him at the White House to cover the final days of negotiations to get American hostages released from Iran.

My first encounter with him was in November of 1982, when he arrived at the PIX11 studios for an interview on "Midday Edition," which was part of the Independent Network News programming lineup. He looked trim and relaxed just two years out of office.

Carter was there to promote his just-released memoir. I brought my two children along, 10-year-old Steven and 7-year-old Jill, to meet the man who served as our 39th president. They were excused from school that day to get an unforgettable lesson in American history as they chatted with Carter, who was most gracious with them. The memory of that moment is everlasting in the photos we took.

Carter was relaxed, forthright, and unflappable as I peppered him with questions during the 20-minute interview. As for his greatest accomplishment, he exclaimed it was the Camp David Accords in 1978 when he brokered peace between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The sessions at the presidential retreat, he said, were expected to last just three or four days, but they instead ran for almost two weeks. He said the two leaders were totally “incompatible” and was fearful the sessions would never be successful.

At one point he said Sadat packed his bags and was prepared to leave. Carter convinced him to stay. But it was more difficult days later when he had to block a door to prevent both Begin and Sadat from bolting.

“There was a bitter confrontation between the two men,” he said. “They were determined to drop out of the discussions. So, I got in front of them and blocked the door and would not let them out until the tension eased and I kept them from departing.” Once finally signed, the agreement was a significant milestone for Carter.

Pressing on, I asked Carter about his greatest disappointment of his administration. “It was the aborted rescue attempt of our hostages in Iran,” he said. Operation Eagle Claw was intended to rescue 52 Americans being held hostage. The mission failed when two helicopters collided, killing eight servicemen. Carter negotiated up until his last day in office to gain the freedom of the hostages who had been held for 444 days. They were finally set free the day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.

During his four-year reign, Carter had a difficult time dealing with Congress, including members of his own Democratic Party. He was forthright when he shared with me that he believed it was because he was an outsider.

“I was kind of an alien when I came to Washington, misunderstood because I hadn’t been a part of the environment,” he said. “Also, because I was a Southerner. I was a Baptist, a born-again Christian, an element around me that created mystery.” And he added, “I came from nowhere almost overnight to become president of the United States.”

I caught up with the former president again at the Democratic convention in Dallas, where he hailed the nomination of Geraldine Ferraro as the first woman nominee for vice president.

During his administration Carter was a champion for women’s rights and appointed many to his administration.

In 1984 when he released his book on the Middle East, Carter returned to the PIX11 studios for another interview. We knew one another well by now, and he was relaxed and comfortable as I probed him with more questions. At the end of the interview I asked how he would like to be remembered by future historians.

“I would like to be remembered with two things,” he shot back with confidence about his accomplishments. “One is peace and the other one is human rights. I think that our country’s greatness is enhanced when we are in the forefront of peace and human rights for all people.”

And that is how Jimmy Carter will be remembered, as a champion of peace who leaves behind a rich and lasting legacy.