“I've looked on many women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. God knows I will do this and forgives me.” Jimmy Carter
It starts with sex. Somehow it always seems that way, doesn’t it? Well, sex or hate. Either means it usually ends in disappointment. You have to wonder if it will ever end.
When he was running for president, Jimmy Carter gave a famous interview to --of all publications-- Playboy Magazine (yes, really). The idea was to retool his nerdy image into a more likeable, hip persona.
Sadly, back in 1976, wonkish intelligence was not yet prized in a U.S. president. Candidate Carter would poll better, garner more votes if he was perceived as “cool.” It was the 70’s, what can I say?
So Jimmy Carter, a nuclear engineer, Georgia peanut farmer, mama’s boy, husband, father, born-again Christian, naively told two Playboy freelance writers the truth. He often had the hots for other women.
Death for a politician. At least back then. Well, mostly now too. For sure, laughing stock city.
Still, how odd that Carter was pilloried for being such a decent dork on that subject compared to JFK. If only Bill Clinton had been as forthright. Another story for another time.
Bottom line, Carter said he loved his wife, had been and always would be faithful to her. But he was human (read: manly). So, he admitted, he checked out babes from time to time. He added that God understood he was a sinful human being and thus cut him some slack.
This bizarre PR misstep was followed, unbelievably, by a New York Times Magazine interview with Norman Mailer in which Carter remarked, "I don't care if people say fuck." It’s truly amazing he won the election.
I worked on that presidential campaign. I met Carter many times. I should have guessed there was more. That still waters do run deep. No, not sex. He didn’t lust after me. It was something much worse.
Stone. Cold. Bigotry. No, not racism. That might have been understandable given his upbringing in the Deep South. Anti-Semitism. Which, considering his role in presidential/Middle East history, seems, well, even more unbelievable.
The Camp David Accords
Almost from the start, President Carter worked hard to find a solution to the Middle East conflict. God was counting on him.
The Carter administration met with many Middle East leaders, correctly identifying Egypt's President Anwar Sadat as the most reasonable Arab leader who might be willing to work out a peace agreement with Israel.
Why they also thought Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Begin, an ardent Zionist, a hard liner, former Israeli Irgun leader (some say “terrorist”) would cooperate, I don’t know. But they did. And he did.
With Carter and company mediating, Israel and Egypt worked on a peace plan. In 1977 a significant, stunning, singular event took place.
Egyptian President Anwar Al-Sadat came to Israel. To address Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset in Jerusalem, the holiest city of all three Western religions. To make a bid for peace in the Middle East.
I was working for the US Embassy in Israel at the time. I was there at Lod (now Ben Gurion) Airport in Tel Aviv when President Sadat stepped off his plane and shook hands with Israeli Prime Minister Begin.
Do you have any idea what it was like to see that one simple act? (Yes, you do. If you watched Barack Obama sworn in as President of the United States).
Think, though, about the magnitude of that Begin-Sadat moment. Thousands of years of hate and bloodshed and violence, two leaders of arguably the world’s most defiantly sworn enemies … coming together seeking peace.
They agreed that a treaty was actually possible. A real opportunity to change the course of millennia.
I stood on the tarmac among many others, a witness to live history, tears streaming down my face in awe. Hope (not lust) swelling in my heart.
Begin and Sadat later came to America for secret meetings with Carter 1978, creating the Camp David Accords, agreements and compromises which would lead to a formal peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.
Israel would return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in exchange for Egypt’s recognition of the Jewish State of Israel. Which it does to this day.
The historic Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty was signed at the White House in March of 1979. I watched with a sense of personal pride as the three leaders clasped hands in a joint handshake, an iconic photo (shown above), sealing a new peace in the Middle East.
President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.
Less than two years later, Anwar Sadat was assassinated as a traitor for agreeing to recognize the State of Israel.
Jimmy Carter lost the election for a second term as president. He finally won his own Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
But. Well.
Something Else In His Heart?
During the 1976 presidential campaign Jimmy Carter often came to PA, a crucial, must-win state. One night after a rally he and his staff met to discuss strategy with then Governor Milton Shapp, a liberal reformer, for whom I worked.
After their meeting I was still in the room, unnoticed, gathering leftover press kits.
That's when I heard Jimmy Carter, Democratic candidate for President of the United States of America, casually say to his people about Governor Shapp, "I can't stand that goddamn Jew. Keep him away from me."
Okay. Well. Somehow the words “lust” and “fuck” pale in comparison to “goddamn Jew.” Especially in light of future events. Hypocrisy had a name and a face. And a powerful job title.
There’s a saying about people like Carter. I’m paraphrasing, but with accuracy, “I love Humanity. It’s people I can’t stand.”
So when Jimmy Carter won that Nobel Peace Prize, I thought to myself, if people only knew. No matter what side you’re on, no matter what you accomplish, no matter what else is in your heart, hate trumps everything else. Until you love and respect not just the abstract concept of Humanity, but the true value of all people.
A New Heart, Renewed Hope
This year, President Obama commemorated the 30th anniversary of the historic Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty, saying in part, "While much work remains, we honor the courage and foresight of these leaders, who stood together in unity to change the course of our shared history."
Unity? I’m not so sure. But we have new hope now.
This year, Barack Obama, a genuine African American, a genuine American, President of the United States of America, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his determined goal –perhaps his destiny-- to bring peace to the world.
It might seem premature. But maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of the end of hate.
I believe President Obama has courage and foresight. And that he has love and respect in his heart for ordinary people, as well as for humanity.
Lust and sex will surely go on around him, but this president has his sights set on a higher purpose. A noble purpose. I sincerely hope he succeeds.
I am terrified hate will triumph.
We must try to keep that from happening. For the world. For humanity. For people.
For peace.
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Comments
Thank you for bringing back the memory of Sadat landing in Israel. It really was a "This is actually happening!" moment. Considering Israel & Egypt's mutual history, that the peace has held is a remarkable achievement.
As for your paraphrase, my recollection is that it was said by the immortal philosopher, Linus van Pelt -- "I love mankind. It's people I can't stand." But that's from my memory as an 8-year old with his nose stuck in a Peanuts book. Oddly appropriate considering Carter's crop of choice.
You talk about an end to hate but summarily dismiss a man with many good works to his name, good works that provide solid evidence that his value system and commitments do not stem primarily from a place of bigotry. As offensive as that remark was - is it really reasonable to use it to justify such an utter dismissal of a man and his life's work?
In our culture we seem to provide very little allowance for the complexities of human nature. If we could know of all the mistakes made by all of leaders, they probably couldn't get elected dog catcher. It seems we want more than anything to believe that there is, somewhere out there, a demonstrably perfect human to lead us.
"I am terrified hate will triumph."
Me too.
Rated
And was this one bigoted remark so terrible that you were going to wait until after his death before sharing it...? I think a sense of perspective might be helpful here.
Kathy, you're right, everybody has something to hide, so to speak. But that kind of dangerous attitude from a man who would become president isn't quite the same as kinky sex... I'm sure you'll agree.
poorsinner, this will be my ONLY answer to you... it is NOT hearsay. I heard it with my own ears. And more. And, it's reared its ugly head in recent years. Bigots and racists are the same, just worse than nasty baiters like you.
re: Obama, my first reaction when I heard the news was disbelief, what had the man actually accomplished? But put in the context of Aung San Suu Kyi or Desmond Tutu, for example, cases where the Nobel committee were clearly trying to bolster leaders of movements yet to bear fruit, I can see it as an appropriate expression of encouragement along the right path. I'd feel a lot better about it if he were to bring the Afghan catastrophe to a quick end, and if he would not continue the egregious offenses against humanity and the rule of law put in place by the Cheney/Bush regime, maybe this award will put some steel in his spine for those tasks and the others he must accomplish to earn it
You are absolutely correct. It is not hearsay to you. Everyone else that passes along your story... now that's hearsay.
My apologies. Poorsinner
Anybody has a right to feel or show dislike for another person, but in my opinion, if they do it with a racial slur, it's not acceptable. Would you all be defending him so vigorously if he called Obama the n-word? I think not.
And btw, I gave --and give-- him full credit for trying to help find peace in the Middle East. For all his good works since. And no, I don't think one comment wipes out someone's decent body of work... but it shows him to be, at heart, a bigot. There were other remarks. There have been other claims by people with serious credentials.
By the reasoning put forth here, it was okay when Imus used racial slurs? Or when Mel Gibson made anti-Semitic remarks? You either have those thoughts and express them, or you don't. I see no middle ground on that.
I never said I "hated" the man. Did he do a lot of good in the world? Absolutely yes. Do I have a right not to respect him for what I heard him say that I believe to be unacceptable? Also yes.
Sandra, I have to admit I'm surprised at your response. You have such strong views about Right and Wrong. Yet you're willing to read more into this than I said. I didn't dismiss a life's work. I told what I heard and said I really didn't like it. And wow, you call his comment a "mistake"?? Bigoted comments are only "mistakes" if someone overhears them.
poorsinner, I've changed my mind about engaging with you because I want to acknowledge that you're right. If this is passed along, it's hearsay. But I don't know how else to tell any story of experience in the world without any of us doing the same thing. I guess maybe it is better to wait until the person is dead? A serious question. Because I've told stories about dead public figures having done nasty deeds and never been hit so hard as this.
Chuck, there have been many rumors over the years. I can't speak to them, only to what I heard. But I also can't possibly believe I heard a one-time comment. Here's an article from the NYT that might interest you: Jews, Arabs and Jimmy Carter
Bigoted comments are only a "mistake" when liberals make them. Don't you know.
Alan the man would have gleefully operated a gas chamber in Bergen Belsen, Auschwitz, or some other Death Camp.
To paraphrase Michael Metrinko, one of the hostages taken by the Iraninans in 1979 that Carter failed to release because he is a coward, if he were burning in the street I wouldn't piss on him.
Defend someone who is worth your time.
I believe too Sally. If I didn't, I wouldn't stand up for him and fight.
Someone told me it was "idolization" for him. I laughed. I will never idolize a politician as long as I live. Everyone has made "hope" a four letter word now because it was used in a campaign. That is terribly sad. Hope is a wonderful thing and it keeps us getting out of bed in the morning. I believe our President to be sincere, and like all of us, imperfect.
I'm sorry you had to hear that from President Carter. I'm not shocked nor surprised because all man/woman kind are flawed in many, many ways. But I am certainly sorry you were in the room and subjected.
Rated and wonderfully written.
Wouldn't it be ironic that the man who had more hub-bub over his Nobel win turns out to be the most deserving...?
Yes, the comment was an offensive one. But was there real anti-semitism behind it (he didn't use a racial slur, for one thing) , or was he just identifying the disliked person? Someone might say, "Get that goddamn plumber away from me" without suggesting that he hates all plumbers.
What happened next I never forgot. He sent me this package with t-shirts and a cap and radio station stuff and a handwritten note that said, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to report this. I checked it out. I'm sure of it. And it really is true." And he signed it "Sorry."
THIS is an even more powerful story because it's first hand and the stage is the world and its about an American President I respect.
And in Sally's hesitation to write it I also hear that same kind of "Sorry." NOT an apology; but in knowing how tough it is to learn something you really didn't want to know.
I have a framed autograph signed to me personally from Jimmy Carter on the wall a foot from where I type this. Perhaps I'll gift him with some optimism and say---maybe he got over his anti-semitism. . . .but then I will doubt that.
I will of course not forget what he's given to the world. But now I will know this horrible, horrible piece of the story as well and applaud Sally's decision to share it. That's what writers do. And she's smart enough to know it will draw fire.
But above all, in now knowing this other part of this story, I will be reminded of the larger truth: there are ALWAYS parts of any story that we humans simply do not know.
This part? Makes me sad. But I'm glad I know it.
So hopefully those are the ones that WE vote for.
After seeing what the Republicans did to the Clintons, and what they've already started with the Obamas, let's just hope that our new president is smart enough and strong enough to overcome the shit storm that continue to try to overwhelm him so that he can make good on the promises, the hope, that we need to see.
I am not surprised by Sally's discomfort in revealing this nasty tidbit that she overheard (which again, is NOT hearsay) and very proud of her for stepping up. Perhaps this might put current politicians on notice that people are listening.......
GREAT post, and rated for your balls!
The duality of Man... great things come from strange places. Gandhi is only perfect because we want him to be so, thus we omit his failings.
Perfection what is thy name?
I, too, was in the room that day in 1976 and, as a member of Carter's campaign staff, was standing much closer to him than you were. We were all idly discussing our personal food preferences. What he actually said was: "I can't stand Rosalynn's stew and her beets disagree with me."
I hope this helps you find closure.
Beth, thank you for supporting my effort here. You said, "...maybe we all have that side." I can't imagine that in today's world. What I can say is that Carter grew up in a far different time, when it was acceptable to teach and believe that some people are superior to others.
alex, I'm so sorry for the horror your family had to endure. And I understand your rage. It wasn't my goal to cause more of the same. But I too felt anger at many actions of the Carter presidency, most especially his support of the Shah of Iran, leading to the Iran hostage crisis which torpedoed his reelection... and sparked the mess we're in today. Here's a quote from a PBS documentary on the subject, "Did the Carter administration "lose" Iran, as some have suggested? Gaddis Smith might have put it best: "President Carter inherited an impossible situation -- and he and his advisers made the worst of it."
Blue, thank you. Especially for putting the focus where I wanted it to be, on the future, not the past. And, though you're right, it's becoming a '4-letter' word, on joining me in continuing to HOPE.
benjamin, if you think calling someone a 'goddamn Jew' is merely a generalization, the same as calling him a 'goddamn plummer,' there's nothing I can say to get through to you.... except:
Please read Chicago Guy's comment under yours. Roger has put my personal experience, and what it represents in a global sense, into reasoned, if saddened, perspective. For which I am extremely grateful.
Ablonde, thank you for adding a grace note. But please don't overlook all the good deeds. Just understand that they didn't cancel out the bad.
Ginny, you added all the political realities I omitted but are so true. And thank you for your support. This wasn't (and isn't) easy.
Suzanne, jay, there is no possible way I could improve on your words. They are at the heart of this and everything in our lives. Well, I guess I could add that the root of "humanitarian" is "human."
Steve, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. I hope and believe by the tenor of your words that regardless, we will continue to treat each other with mutual respect.
First of all, thanks for the up-close view of history. You're take on the Peace Prize is the best one I've read. I have hope too--cautious hope.
Oh, and a little known fact about the peace deal between Egypt and Israel: two days before the Camp David Accords, the Grateful Dead played at the foot of the pyramids, under a total eclipse of the moon. Now, I'm not saying the Dead single-handedly brought peace between Israel and Egypt, but I will say that we should get Phish rocking out in the Middle East if we want to see progress toward peace :-)
Seriously though, thanks for the great first-hand account. Well done.
I did like Motoring Homeless' paraphrasing of what he "overheard" ( yes, I know he wasn't there) but it is just like the old fifties party game of starting with a story and whispering it to the next person and seeing how it comes out at the end. It could through some convoluted algorithm come out exact, but it is not likely and it will always be run through someone else's filters.
So while it is interesting to read, it has zero effect on my perceptions of him ,albeit I have not looked at the additional reports from others who purport to have "overheard" remarks that lead to a conclusion of labeling him as anti-Semitic.
MJ, thank you for your kind words and for adding an interesting tidbit. The Dead, eh? Could that be Karma?
Sincerely, I DID rate it.
Oh, hell. I was never a big fan of Carter's. I thought he was a decent human being but I was kind of on the fence about him regarding his administration. Didn't know he was an anti-semite, that's a bit of a surprise.
I've always maintained that you can do the greatest of deeds but they do not erase the bad you've done. You have to learn to earn forgiveness, but never expect forgetfulness. Our smallest mistakes will always loom larger than our greatest successes - it is human nature.
First, comparing Carter's statement to the use of the n-word. That seems to me to feed into, be part of, the reluctance people to use the word "Jew" all by itself, like it's a bad thing in itself to be a Jew. So we end up with the insidious "Jewish person." That mildly creeps me out only because it seems to stem from the idea that being a plain ole "Jew" is a bad thing.
That said, you were there, Sally and I respect that you heard something in his voice that you identified as not what I'm talking about but real hate. I can only hope you were being over sensitive and he was only expressing hatred for an individual he also identified as Jewish. Since several people have mentioned ongoing rumors about Carter's antisemitism and in light of his "apartheid" book that hope is probably futile. (Rumors often have some foundation in the way that where there's smoke there tends to be some fire.) I'm one who's wanted him to be as good as he's presented.
The other striking thing is your feeling an obligation to keep this secret until after he died. Why? I truly don't understand that. I imagine is could have had very bad repercussions for you, of course. A president's (or candidate's) antisemitism shouldn't be private. Unlike common sexual peccadilloes, it has a strong bearing on one's performance in and fitness for office and should be shouted from the rooftops.
I don't think you, given your youth and probable inexperience at the time, should necessarily have been the one to do it but goddamn every established journalist who knew this and didn't report it and goddamn every political operative who supported him and facilitated his election. I voted for him and I would never knowingly vote for an anti-semite.
Apologies if this rambles. As always I get here when it's late and I'm tired.
When you can't stand someone, you often recall the ways in which he is different than you. It doesn't mean that's why you don't like them. I doubt Carter disliked Govnuh wossname was his being Jewish.
Now, if you showed me tapes like Nixon, with Jimmy going on about "The Jews" in general - yah, that's proof. What Jimmy said? Not nice, but not that terrible.