Jonathan Alter

In this case, and in the Alaska lands bill, which doubled the size of the national park system in the United States, and the Panama Canal treaties that prevented a long war in Central America, and on other issues, normalization with China, which became the foundation of the global economy, these huge foreign policy wins were partly the product of Carter's obsession with

getting the details right, which I think comes out of his engineering background and his faith.

getting the details right, which I think comes out of his engineering background and his faith.

getting the details right, which I think comes out of his engineering background and his faith.

Yeah, there's a play. Richard Thomas played Jimmy Carter. And I think Ben Kingsley was in one of the stage productions as Sadat. So, you know, there's a play about Camp David. But you're right that it would make a great movie.

Yeah, there's a play. Richard Thomas played Jimmy Carter. And I think Ben Kingsley was in one of the stage productions as Sadat. So, you know, there's a play about Camp David. But you're right that it would make a great movie.

Yeah, there's a play. Richard Thomas played Jimmy Carter. And I think Ben Kingsley was in one of the stage productions as Sadat. So, you know, there's a play about Camp David. But you're right that it would make a great movie.

And to be totally honest with you, I've been trying a little bit to get Carter's life covered more by Hollywood, because I think it's very dramatic and has been underappreciated over the years.

And to be totally honest with you, I've been trying a little bit to get Carter's life covered more by Hollywood, because I think it's very dramatic and has been underappreciated over the years.

And to be totally honest with you, I've been trying a little bit to get Carter's life covered more by Hollywood, because I think it's very dramatic and has been underappreciated over the years.

Yeah, and some of them you'd put in the column of mistakes, like boycotting the Olympics and the grain embargo that Carter imposed. It was very popular before it was very unpopular. So, you know, it won overwhelmingly in Congress, and then pretty much everybody agreed that it didn't really do much to alter Soviet behavior and took it out on the athletes and was probably not such a great idea.

Yeah, and some of them you'd put in the column of mistakes, like boycotting the Olympics and the grain embargo that Carter imposed. It was very popular before it was very unpopular. So, you know, it won overwhelmingly in Congress, and then pretty much everybody agreed that it didn't really do much to alter Soviet behavior and took it out on the athletes and was probably not such a great idea.

Yeah, and some of them you'd put in the column of mistakes, like boycotting the Olympics and the grain embargo that Carter imposed. It was very popular before it was very unpopular. So, you know, it won overwhelmingly in Congress, and then pretty much everybody agreed that it didn't really do much to alter Soviet behavior and took it out on the athletes and was probably not such a great idea.

But you're right that there were these major events, and then these were all playing out against the backdrop of a terrible economy.

But you're right that there were these major events, and then these were all playing out against the backdrop of a terrible economy.

But you're right that there were these major events, and then these were all playing out against the backdrop of a terrible economy.

Correct. And actually, the improvement of the economy should go on Carter's record. Because what happened was, so I think your listeners know, the president doesn't really determine the economy. It's the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Now we've had some chairwomen.

Correct. And actually, the improvement of the economy should go on Carter's record. Because what happened was, so I think your listeners know, the president doesn't really determine the economy. It's the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Now we've had some chairwomen.

Correct. And actually, the improvement of the economy should go on Carter's record. Because what happened was, so I think your listeners know, the president doesn't really determine the economy. It's the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Now we've had some chairwomen.

So in 1979, Jimmy Carter was facing this horrible inflation, which, as you correctly say, mostly came out of the 1973 Arab oil embargo. which was not on Carter's watch, and then was worsened by the Iranian revolution, which, contrary to what Henry Kissinger and some others maintain, and I argued with Kissinger about this, I think, fairly successfully.