By Jeff Orvis
Former President Jimmy Carter held a
remarkable news conference earlier this morning. He had announced
that he had cancer that had spread from his liver to other parts of
his body. What was remarkable about this appearance was that he
didn't rely on a spokesman or a doctor to explain the extent of his
illness. He sat and answered questions from the local and national
press for more than 30 minutes.
I sat and listened closely to this
incredible man. For a guy who served just one term in the White
House, he might be remembered as one of the most influential
individuals of the 20th and early 21st century.
When we hear about some of the
wonderful work his Carter Center has accomplished around the world,
it might be easy to regret that we didn't elect him to a second term.
After all, look what replaced him. But I think America may have done
him a favor by releasing him from the Washington fish bowl. Leaving
behind the world of spin doctors, image formers and hundreds, if not
thousands of government types who had their own ideas on how things
should be done, he returned to rural Georgia, where the next chapter
of his life has been anything but quiet.
Of course, of immediate concern is his
health status. He calmly explained how the cancer had spread to four
areas of his brain and how he was to begin treatment later in the
day. He said he was actually at peace with the diagnosis, recognizing
what a wonderful life he'd had. Much of that peace has come from the
support of family and many friends around the world, but also from
his strong Christian faith. Many of us would naturally sit back and
wait to die. President Carter is tackling this challenge head-on,
despite living nearly 91 years.
Aside from the detailed description of
his condition, he reminded us of many other facts and figures of his
life that show why this man is a national and international treasure.
A graduate of the Naval Academy, he served on a nuclear submarine.
After his service, he returned home and farmed for 17 years. Later
on, he served as governor of Georgia, then hit the national political
spotlight which ultimately lead to the presidency.
Today, I learned that he and his
wonderful wife, Rosalyn, have been married 69 years. They have 22
children and grandchildren. He was asked how this illness and his
treatment might affect his work with the Carter Center. He said he
still hopes he can make that trip back to Nepal to help Habitat for
Humanity build homes. It would mark the 33rd time he has been in that
country. Much of the work of the center also involves improving the
health of the populations of 80 countries. At one time, he said,
there were more than 3 million victims of polio. That number has
dropped to 11 and Carter was able to list which countries still had
victims.
All of this incredible work takes
major funds. Carter indicated that the center has an endowment of
just over $600 million. While he and his wife have decided to scale
back their day to day work at the center, he said he would still be
contacting big donors and being a consultant of the work still being
done. And there's still that hope of a return to Nepal.
With more than 20 men and women
seeking the presidency, it's easy to compare and contrast them, as
well as those who went before them. I have lived during the terms of
11 men. Some have done great things, others have been a
disappointment. We all have our opinion on who the good ones have
been. After watching the Carter news conference, I noticed on my
Facebook page that someone had called First Lady Michelle Obama a
disappointment. It has also been suggested that President Obama
should be in prison. Most of those suggestions come from folks who
can't even spell their claims correctly. Somehow, I would trust a
former Constitutional professor before most rural Iowans, myself
included.
Way back in 1981, on the day that
Carter left the presidency, our hostages were set free from more than
a year of imprisonment in Iran. I'm still wondering if the timing of
their release was not orchestrated by members of the incoming Reagan
Administration to try to dampen the legacy of President Carter.
More than 30 years later, that legacy
is secure, despite the best efforts of those long-forgotten
naysayers. As we continue to listen to that growing list of
candidates, we should ask ourselves which ones have the ability to
display not only great judgment, but also compassion and the vision
to know that this is a great, big wonderful world and there are
billions of fellow residents who deserve the right to live happy and
healthy lives. That is what Jimmy Carter learned many years ago.
He will be a tough act to follow.
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