This is the Opinions, a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times opinion.
You've heard the news.
Here's what to make of it.
I'm Nick Kristof.
I'm a columnist for the New York Times.
I think a lot of Americans just misunderstand how much President Carter did for the country and for the world.
You know, here's a guy who was regarded by so many as a failure,
and yet I would say that he affected more lives over a longer period of time worldwide than any other president.
President Carter had such an amazing life.
You know, here's this person who grew up without electricity or running water until he was 11 years old,
ran around barefoot in the rural south,
and yet he became president and influenced the world
and I think elevated the position of hundreds and hundreds of millions of people.
The first time I met President Carter was before he was president.
I was a high school journalist and covering an event that he spoke at and I was just completely awed.
And he had this very down to earth manner to him that didn't feel very presidential.
It just felt very human.
But then after that, I didn't interact with him for years.
And it was only after he was president when I joined him on a trip to Ethiopia in 2007.
He was visiting an area where river blindness was endemic and he had started a campaign to eliminate river blindness.