Jimmy Carter Should have been More Appreciated While President

   Jimmy Carter's approval rating was 31 percent in 1980. Obviously, he was not a popular president. Nobody liked the guy (well, almost nobody). He was the same person 19 years later in 1999, believing in the same things. But, what's this? His approval rating as a former president jumped to 66 percent -- that's more than double.
   Carter is ranked as one of our most religious presidents. He was one of the most morally courageous and ethical presidents we have had -- right up there with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
   So, why so unpopular when in office and yet so popular a couple decades after he left office? Answer: We judge our politicians by their politics. Morals don't matter. But, once outside of the presidency, we are no longer encumbered by their politics. Carter won a Nobel Peace Prize. You have to appreciate that. 
   Bless Jimmy Carter this day. He should have been more appreciated while president. We, as the American people, should value virtue and goodness ahead of politics. We don't. It remains a failing of the American people to this day.