Jimmy Carter, been good to know you !

The nation’s 39th President is resting at home for his final days. Here’s my interview from 2009 and a historic perspective on Jimmy Carter’s presidency from historian Julian Zelizer. In the 2009 interview, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize talked about his 2nd book on the Middle East ‘We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land.” Carter talks about Israeli settlements as the major barrier to peace. When he left office Carter’s approval rating was 34%, but by the time of this interview, it rose to 64%. Carter reflects on why. He discusses his naval service in Seattle, and the infamous rabbit attack on his canoe.

Conventional wisdom is that Jimmy Carter (born October 1, 1924) was a lousy president, but a great ex-president. In this 2010 interview Carter biographer Julian Zelizer re-appraises the legacy of the Georgian peanut farmer turned politician who presided over double digit inflation, the Iran hostage crisis, and battles with Ted Kennedy and other members of his own Democratic Party.