Jefferson Cowie

Yeah, but I don't think that was because of Carter, though. No, I agree. The Mujahideen had a little more to do with that. That's true. Where we planted our own seeds of problems. Exactly. Yes, we did. Yes, we did.

Yeah, it is absolutely unprecedented. But he also went into that weak. He was kind of a new kind of Democrat. He wasn't firmly rooted in the civil rights groups. He wasn't firmly rooted in labor. He wasn't in the urban groups. You know, he's weak going in. This just brings him down. And he is suddenly...

Yeah, it is absolutely unprecedented. But he also went into that weak. He was kind of a new kind of Democrat. He wasn't firmly rooted in the civil rights groups. He wasn't firmly rooted in labor. He wasn't in the urban groups. You know, he's weak going in. This just brings him down. And he is suddenly...

Yeah, it is absolutely unprecedented. But he also went into that weak. He was kind of a new kind of Democrat. He wasn't firmly rooted in the civil rights groups. He wasn't firmly rooted in labor. He wasn't in the urban groups. You know, he's weak going in. This just brings him down. And he is suddenly...

The United States, which had lost in Vietnam, and Saigon had fallen, and Cambodia was becoming a killing field, and everything's going terrible. This becomes the last blow of the image of the sort of pitiless giant that can't defend itself, and Carter takes on the sort of symbol of that kind of waffling, what can we do as the hostages are being held in the embassy? But he did try.

The United States, which had lost in Vietnam, and Saigon had fallen, and Cambodia was becoming a killing field, and everything's going terrible. This becomes the last blow of the image of the sort of pitiless giant that can't defend itself, and Carter takes on the sort of symbol of that kind of waffling, what can we do as the hostages are being held in the embassy? But he did try.

The United States, which had lost in Vietnam, and Saigon had fallen, and Cambodia was becoming a killing field, and everything's going terrible. This becomes the last blow of the image of the sort of pitiless giant that can't defend itself, and Carter takes on the sort of symbol of that kind of waffling, what can we do as the hostages are being held in the embassy? But he did try.

On day 100 and some odd, he launched this attempted rescue operation with all the helicopters and the planes in the desert, and ended in a sort of absolute everything went wrong. And it became a kind of metaphor for the whole thing. There were no tools at Carter's disposal for this besides seizing assets and things like that.

On day 100 and some odd, he launched this attempted rescue operation with all the helicopters and the planes in the desert, and ended in a sort of absolute everything went wrong. And it became a kind of metaphor for the whole thing. There were no tools at Carter's disposal for this besides seizing assets and things like that.

On day 100 and some odd, he launched this attempted rescue operation with all the helicopters and the planes in the desert, and ended in a sort of absolute everything went wrong. And it became a kind of metaphor for the whole thing. There were no tools at Carter's disposal for this besides seizing assets and things like that.

And the hostage's family didn't want any violence or invasion because they were afraid they'd be killed. So he was really hamstrung, and the greatest irony probably of his presidency is he spent that last 444 days just worrying about hostages, and then on the day that Ronald Reagan's inaugurated in January 1981 is the same day that the hostages are released.

And the hostage's family didn't want any violence or invasion because they were afraid they'd be killed. So he was really hamstrung, and the greatest irony probably of his presidency is he spent that last 444 days just worrying about hostages, and then on the day that Ronald Reagan's inaugurated in January 1981 is the same day that the hostages are released.

And the hostage's family didn't want any violence or invasion because they were afraid they'd be killed. So he was really hamstrung, and the greatest irony probably of his presidency is he spent that last 444 days just worrying about hostages, and then on the day that Ronald Reagan's inaugurated in January 1981 is the same day that the hostages are released.

Talk about pulling the rug out from under you.

Talk about pulling the rug out from under you.

Talk about pulling the rug out from under you.

And it was also kind of the end of the Democratic Party as we had known it as well. As deeply moral and thoughtful and intelligent as he was, he was not able to keep the party glued together. And they went into the 1980 election weekend. And sadly, that's his legacy.

And it was also kind of the end of the Democratic Party as we had known it as well. As deeply moral and thoughtful and intelligent as he was, he was not able to keep the party glued together. And they went into the 1980 election weekend. And sadly, that's his legacy.

And it was also kind of the end of the Democratic Party as we had known it as well. As deeply moral and thoughtful and intelligent as he was, he was not able to keep the party glued together. And they went into the 1980 election weekend. And sadly, that's his legacy.

Well, most ex-presidents disappear, right? And he becomes, as you say, a great humanitarian, a great principled leader. And probably the only analogy would be John Quincy Adams, another one-term president who becomes a great abolitionist. But other than that, most of them kind of fade away.