Harry Truman was Jimmy Carter鈥檚 political hero, according to Stuart Eizenstat, Carter鈥檚 chief domestic policy adviser, and he sees parallels between the two leaders.
鈥淏oth presidents left office highly unpopular,鈥 said Eizenstat, author of 鈥淧resident Carter: The White House Years.鈥 鈥淭ruman is now remembered much more for his achievements than for his failures, and I hope that my book will have a similar reassessment of Jimmy Carter as president.鈥
Eizenstat spoke with聽聽Dean Kevin Avruch about the book and his time in the Carter White House on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at George Mason 麻豆国产鈥檚 Arlington Campus.
Terry McAuliffe, former governor of Virginia and a distinguished professor at Mason鈥檚 Schar School, introduced Eizenstat and expressed similar hopes for Carter鈥檚 legacy.
鈥淚t鈥檚 appropriate now with George Mason鈥檚 School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution that we鈥檙e talking about Jimmy Carter鈥 I don鈥檛 think today everybody quite understands or appreciates the great work that President Carter had done,鈥 said McAuliffe. 鈥淗e ran into some tough issues鈥 but this man leaned in every single day.鈥
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Jordan Mrvos, a first-year master鈥檚 student at S-CAR who attended the book talk and signing, said he appreciates that big names in the industry often live in the D.C. area, and S-CAR provides many opportunities to learn from them and ask them questions in intimate settings like the one on Oct. 2.
鈥淚鈥檝e gone to three [S-CAR] events in this room already this year and they鈥檙e always amazing. They鈥檝e all been very different and very thought-provoking,鈥 said Mrvos.
Eizenstat said that in writing his book he did not ignore 鈥渢he rap on the Carter presidency,鈥 which he calls 鈥渢he four I鈥檚鈥: inflation, Iran, inexperience, and inter-party warfare.
But he balanced those with achievements including the negotiation of the Panama Canal treaty, a nuclear arms reduction treaty with the Soviet Union, the Camp David Accords, the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty, efforts that supported human rights, clean energy, and ways Carter set up the successes of future presidents.
鈥淎s a president, Jimmy Carter was the embodiment of American values for human rights, dignity, and the peaceful resolution of conflict,鈥 Avruch said.