Jimmy Carter Through the Years_ From Georgia Governor to Longest-Living President
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00:00I, Jimmy Carter, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President
00:29of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend
00:42the Constitution of the United States. So help me God. Congratulations.
00:51I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land. We must adjust
01:02to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.
01:14These are the kind of elements of a national health insurance important to the American
01:17people. Governor Reagan, again, typically is against such a proposal.
01:22Governor, there you go again.
01:26I believe with all my heart that America must always stand for these basic human rights
01:32at home and abroad. That is both our history and our destiny. America did not invent human
01:42rights. In a very real sense, it's the other way around. Human rights invented America.
01:52Newsweek had me on their cover, I think, seven times in 1975 and 76. And they said I set
01:58a record for cover stories that no one's ever broken since. So I'm grateful to them in a
02:03way.
02:06You think we're closer to war today than we should be?
02:11I think we have let the world know that our country is no longer the foremost proponent
02:18or user of negotiations and diplomacy, and that our country's first reaction to a troubled
02:25area on earth is to try to inject American military forces or threats as our nation's
02:34policy.
02:38My hope is, and my expectation is, that leaders in the entertainment world, in the political
02:44world, the business and professional world will all join in a common effort to make this
02:49fundraising program in the next few weeks highly successful.
02:57Well, I think it's not only a recognition of wonderful work that has been done by the
03:04recipients, but also it's an inspiration to others to try to emulate what they've done.
03:09I just feel like we've had a good partnership. Everybody's worked together. And look at the
03:13families' faces, you can tell how I feel.
03:16Well, as you would certainly imagine, or perhaps know, being president of the greatest nation
03:23on earth gives that chosen leader an opportunity to do a lot of things, sometimes mistaken,
03:31sometimes in doubt, but sometimes very gratifying and charged with wisdom.
03:38We've had eight months of fairly detailed analysis of the issues that the next president
03:44will face, now identified, obviously, as President-elect George Bush. Our purpose with the American
03:50agenda is not to set the agenda for the next president. We want to give him some options
03:57or advice or analyses, which quite often is difficult for a candidate.
04:01Well, Rosalyn and I are very proud of Atlanta and very proud of Atlanta Project. You can
04:07see what a wonderful future we have to offer here in Atlanta. And Rosalyn and I from Plains,
04:12Georgia, are very glad to be part of the great future of the greatest city in the whole nation
04:18and the whole world, Atlanta, Georgia.
04:20Some people have called you a political missionary.
04:25Well, I think I'm more of a missionary than I'm a politician. I never have been intrigued
04:34with politics. I never have really liked the political world.
04:38I'm on Tim's show, Home Improvement. He often demonstrates ways to improve your existing
04:43home, but Habitat for Humanity, a project that Rosalyn and I hold dear to our hearts,
04:48actually builds home from scratch.
04:55As I am today, I was concerned about human rights, and I was concerned about the well-being
05:15of the working people of this country.
05:24I think that what ties us all together is common concepts of justice, of peace, humility,
05:41service of others, compassion, unselfish love. Those kinds of human traits or ambitions
05:54are common all over the world.
05:58So, Habitat is cutting the cutting edge of providing affordable homes for people who
06:04are willing to work. They have to work 500 hours, who are desperately in need.
06:10You really like mixing and mingling with the people. How much fun is that?
06:14Well, these were the same people, or either their parents were the ones that put me in
06:17the Governor's Mansion, or they were the ones that put me in the Governor's Mansion.
06:20You really like mixing and mingling with the people. How much fun is that?
06:23Well, these were the same people, or either their parents were the ones that put me in
06:26the Governor's Mansion, or they were the ones that put me in the Governor's Mansion.
06:50Well, you're such an inspiration for all those fighting cancer. What would you say
07:02to them, and how has Roslyn and her support helped you through this?
07:07Well, her support has helped me for the last 69 years since we've been married, and everything
07:12I've ever tried. And, of course, when I was ill, I thought I might die any time, and she
07:18was there for me. But my immune system seems to be responding.
07:26Not getting re-elected is considered to be a failure, but I have found since living in
07:32the White House that I've had a very gratifying and, I think, productive life with the Carter
07:39Center. We've been able to monitor 107 different troubled elections. It may not have gone well
07:46had we not been there.
07:47I've given some advice to the Carter Center. This may be the last conversations that Rosa
07:53and I will ever have with you. I'm 95 years old. I was just starting to take 20 years
07:59off my age. And Rosa is 92, so now you know her age as well. She might get on me when
08:08I get home with her tonight. But anyway, this may be our last conversations with you.