海角大神

Over the years, many an American president 鈥� and presidential wannabe 鈥� has graced the Monitor鈥檚 breakfast table, but almost none as frequently as Jimmy Carter.听

Former President Carter, who died Dec. 29 at age 100, appeared at our breakfast nine times:听first as the newly inaugurated governor of Georgia, early in 1971; four more times before the 1976 election; once as president of the United States; and three times as a former president.

In hindsight, his most memorable appearance may have been the morning of Dec. 12, 1974, when he handed the assembled reporters a scoop: He was running for president. But his disclosure was so low key, Governor Carter so unassuming, that it generated little buzz. The Monitor鈥檚 story on that breakfast ran on Page 3.听

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 rush to the phones,鈥� Godfrey 鈥淏udge鈥� Sperling wrote in a 1997 column reminiscing about politicians suggesting or outright announcing their presidential campaigns at his famous newsmaker breakfasts. 鈥淎 few of the reporters, in a post-breakfast conversation, said they thought Carter鈥檚 prospects were nil. One sage uttered this pronouncement: 鈥楥arter isn鈥檛 forceful enough to become president.鈥� Others agreed.鈥�

That evening, Governor Carter made it official, announcing for the 1976 presidential race in a speech at the National Press Club. The rest is history.

By December of 1974, Mr. Carter was already well familiar to Mr. Sperling and by extension, readers of the Monitor. Mr. Sperling and his wife, Betty, had gotten to know Mr. Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, at governors鈥� conferences.听

That friendship continued into the Carter presidency, says former Monitor editor David Cook, who hosted Monitor Breakfasts from 2001 to 2018.听

鈥淭hus it was that the Sperlings had dinner with the President and First Lady in the White House Residence Quarters in July 1979,鈥� Mr. Cook says in an email.听

That kind of socializing between reporters and presidents is much less common these days. But back then, Mr. Sperling used his gregarious nature to great effect in securing breakfast guests. And he was bipartisan in his outreach. The Sperlings were also friendly with Mr. Carter鈥檚 predecessor, Republican President Gerald Ford, and his wife, Betty.

For the record, former President Ford appeared at Monitor Breakfasts 10 times: once during his presidency, five times before, and four times after.

Mr. Ford and Mr. Carter both found the Monitor Breakfast to be a good fit 鈥撎齛n opportunity to interact with reporters respectfully, on the record, and discuss policy and politics over bacon and eggs. But even if, early on, the Georgia governor came across as lacking forcefulness to hard-bitten Washington reporters, his outsider status ended up appealing to voters weary from the Watergate scandal and its aftermath.听

Mr. Carter鈥檚 intelligence and wide smile were also assets. In a 2002 column, Mr. Sperling reminisced about his first Carter breakfast.

鈥淚 must admit I liked Jimmy Carter from the moment I first met him 鈥� when he popped up as a guest at a Monitor breakfast back in 1971,鈥� Mr. Sperling wrote. 鈥淟os Angeles Times newsman Jack Nelson had suggested that we invite this Georgia governor to meet with us. At that point I had heard little about Carter. 鈥榃e should keep our eye on him,鈥� Mr. Nelson said, because someday Carter was going to run for president.鈥�

Coverage of Mr. Carter鈥檚 many Monitor Breakfasts reveals a man ready to shake things up, in his own way. At the 1974 gathering, when he publicly revealed his presidential aspirations, he said he would ask for the power to use wage and price controls to address the struggling economy 鈥� 鈥渂ut I would use it circumspectly,鈥� he added.听听

Mr. Carter, a devout Baptist, also promised to issue a code of ethics 鈥渢hat will guide my campaign and administration.鈥� On energy, he said he鈥檇 ask Americans to reduce consumption.听

On June 24, 1976, before his formal nomination at the Democratic National Convention in New York City, Mr. Carter sat down with 35 reporters at another Monitor Breakfast and addressed three main topics: whether he鈥檇 be willing to debate his general election opponent (probably); a sex scandal involving Democratic Rep. Wayne Hays of Ohio (Mr. Carter declined to disavow the congressman 鈥渁t this time鈥�); and his biggest challenge in defeating President Ford, if he won the GOP nomination (鈥渢he power of incumbency鈥�).听

At the time, it wasn鈥檛 clear if Mr. Ford would be able to fend off a spirited convention challenge from former California Gov. Ronald Reagan. Mr. Ford won the nomination, handing Mr. Carter his biggest campaign weapon: Mr. Ford鈥檚 pardon of President Richard Nixon.听听

But shockingly, at least by today鈥檚 standards, Mr. Carter said at his 1976 Monitor Breakfast that he would not bring up Watergate in the campaign, nor would he mention the Ford pardon of Mr. Nixon. Instead, Mr. Carter seemed to defend Mr. Ford, saying that the president had pardoned Mr. Nixon 鈥渂ecause he thought it was the right thing to do.鈥澨�

Just a month later, however, Mr. Carter seemed to change his tune. At a news conference in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, he with the pardon, saying Mr. Ford should not have done that 鈥渦ntil after a trial had been completed鈥� into Mr. Nixon鈥檚 alleged crimes around the Watergate scandal. The Nixon pardon is widely seen as a key factor in Mr. Carter鈥檚 defeat of Mr. Ford in 1976.听

In a 1989 column, Mr. Sperling cited Mr. Carter鈥檚 鈥渄ecency鈥� as another ingredient in his rise to the presidency.

鈥淩emember how Carter, as a new president, strove to put an end to the 鈥榬egal presidency鈥� 鈥� the kind of pomp that had grown to ridiculous proportions under Richard Nixon?鈥� Mr. Sperling wrote.听

鈥淐arter wore a sweater at his early TV fire-side chats with the American people. He had walked hand-in-hand with Rosalynn back from the inaugural. Jimmy was always saying, through his actions: 鈥楯ust because I鈥檓 president, I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 any better than any other American.鈥�

鈥淭his show of modesty played very well for a while with the public. Then 鈥� somehow 鈥� people tired of this.鈥�

As with any presidency, Mr. Carter鈥檚 had its highs and lows. He helped broker Middle East peace with the Camp David Accords and established the departments of Energy and Education, but also faced economic woes, including long gas lines, and the Iran hostage crisis.听

The Carter presidency ended after one term. But over time, he rehabilitated his image, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his advocacy of global human rights, and helping build houses for Habitat for Humanity well into his 90s.听

In his first post-presidency Monitor Breakfast, in 1982, a 鈥渞elaxed鈥� Mr. Carter seemed to be enjoying life 鈥渇ree from the burden of the Oval Office,鈥� as Mr. Sperling put it. He commented on the 1984 presidential race, arms control, and Middle East developments.听

When asked if he might get back into politics, he said, 鈥淚 have no thoughts on running again.鈥� Afterward, Mr. Sperling notes, reporters commented that the reply left 鈥渁mple room鈥� for possibly seeking the presidency again. But unlike the most recent one-term president, Mr. Carter never went there.听

At a Monitor Breakfast on April 2, 1985, Mr. Carter came to promote his latest book, 鈥淭he Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East.鈥� He criticized President Reagan, saying his Mideast policies were headed down a 鈥渄ead-end street,鈥� in part because of a failure to get involved directly in the peace process.听

Mr. Carter also admitted to mistakes in his own presidency, saying his White House 鈥渢ried to do too much, too fast 鈥� particularly in foreign policy.鈥� But he also pushed back on an episode in which he felt unfairly treated: press coverage of his so-called in 1979, aimed at soothing a weary nation struggling with an energy crisis 鈥撎齛nd which famously did not include the word 鈥渕alaise.鈥� Mr. Carter called it 鈥渙ne of the best speeches I ever made.鈥澨�

In his final Monitor Breakfast, hosted by Mr. Cook in 2005, Mr. Carter came to promote the 20th book of his post-presidency, called 鈥淥ur Endangered 海角大神: America鈥檚 Moral Crisis.鈥� He was harshly critical of the Bush administration鈥檚 decision to invade Iraq, saying:听鈥淭he attitude of going to war against a relatively defenseless country in order to prevent violence in the world is a complete fallacy.鈥�

At the same time, Mr. Carter also warned of what he called 鈥渁 merger of the church and the state, of religion and politics.鈥� And he didn鈥檛 spare his own party, saying he believed Democratic leaders were 鈥渙veremphasizing the abortion issue,鈥� and wrongly making it a 鈥渓itmus test鈥� that had hurt the party. More broadly, he lamented an听鈥渁version鈥� among Democratic leaders to showing 鈥渃ompatibility with the deeply religious people of this country.鈥澨�听

Some two decades later, President Joe Biden may be the most openly religious Democratic chief executive since Mr. Carter. But there can be little doubt that the religious polarization identified by the 39th president has grown even more acute.听

Staff writer Harry Bruinius assisted with this report.听