Heard on Morning Edition

 

October 1, 2009 - STEVE INSKEEP, host:

Former President Jimmy Carter turns 85 today. He'll also be celebrating the reopening of his library and museum after a major renovation. That library in Atlanta includes a focus on Carter's life after his term in office, now that it's been renovated. Carter is one of America's few ex-presidents who has had decades to reshape his image after leaving the White House.

NPR's Kathy Lohr reports.

KATHY LOHR: The new museum does highlight Carter's presidency with flair. Inside a rotunda you experience A Day in the Life of a President, surrounded by half a dozen 14-foot-high screens that document a single day, beginning with a wake-up call.

(Soundbite of museum exhibit)

Mr. MARTIN SHEEN (Actor): Monday, December 11, 1978.

(Soundbite of phone ringing)

President CARTER: Hello.

Unidentified Man: Good morning, Mr. President, it's 5:30. The current temperature is 23 degrees.

LOHR: As a clock displays the time, a collage of images surrounds you. Using a technique reminiscent of the television show "24," the screen reveals Washington monuments, photographs of Carter's cabinet briefings, and copies of once-classified documents.

(Soundbite of museum exhibit)

Pres. CARTER: Good morning, everyone. I'd like to start on the issue of health care. The issue is not whether we should have a national health plan, but on what schedule we can afford to implement such a plan.

LOHR: The former president says sorting through 5,000 pages of diary notes for the new exhibit made him realize how many issues he faced that are still relevant today — including health care, energy policy, and negotiating in the Middle East.

Pres. CARTER: What President Obama has to face is almost exactly - in many, many areas - what I had to face back in those days.

LOHR: The privately-funded renovation of Carter's museum and library began in April. Jay Hakes is the director.

Mr. JAY HAKES (Director, Carter Museum and Library): The original museum was good at its time, but 23 years is too long for a library to continue. Technology's changed, the Carters have lived a lot longer, so there was a lot of work for us to do.

LOHR: The size of the museum didn't increase, but Hakes says much of the focus has changed to highlight Carter's post-presidency.

Mr. HAKES: Anybody who knows Jimmy Carter knows that he does not like to be idle. So you know, it was kind of logical, I guess, that he would end up being a very active ex-president.

LOHR: Since what Carter calls his involuntary retirement in 1981, he has monitored more than 70 elections all over the world and worked to eliminate disease in the poorest countries. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and has continued meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders — often condemning Israel's actions.

And the former president speaks his mind. Carter recently said he believes racism is the reason for the harsh political criticism of President Barack Obama.

Pres. CARTER: And this radical right-wing fringe element that is so vituperative and filled with hatred I think needs to be addressed by the vast majority of Americans. I'm not talking about partisan politics. I'm talking about Republicans and Democrats. So far, unfortunately, very few Republicans have spoken out against this.

LOHR: The White House discounted the race theory, but Carter's comments ignited a new debate.

Former presidents are showing up much more these days. Bill Clinton, who negotiated the release of two American journalists from North Korea in August, talked about his trip last week on the CBS "Late Show with David Letterman."

(Soundbite of TV show, "Late Show with David Letterman")

Mr. DAVID LETTERMAN (Host): Had you been to North - no, you had never been to North Korea.

President BILL CLINTON: No.

Mr. LETTERMAN: People don't go to North Korea, do they? Not on purpose, they don't go.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Professor JAMES THURBER (American University): Most presidents have died in office, unfortunately, or shortly thereafter and so there are very few to look to see a model of continued public service.

LOHR: James Thurber is a presidential historian at American University in Washington, D.C.

Prof. THURBER: I think the population in America and the world now expect presidents to leave and continue their work. It's like a chapter in the White House - and then continue their work after they leave office. And I think that Carter and Clinton have established that track record.

LOHR: At the newly designed Carter museum, an interactive table allows visitors to touch images projected on it and follow the travels of President Carter. You can get a virtual passport, take quizzes about conditions in remote countries, and email the experience to friends and family.

Former President Carter says his updated museum is the first in the country to highlight a president's long-term role.

Pres. CARTER: I think this will be very interesting to visitors who've never seen such a presentation. And it also gives scholars — and even grammar school and high school students — an insight into how the president's years can be related intimately with what the president does after we leave office.

LOHR: At 85, Jimmy Carter is still very active. He has made four trips to the Middle East in the past year-and-a-half. And, Carter says, he has no plans to slow down.

Kathy Lohr, NPR News.

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