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.

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