Former President Bill Clinton, left, speaks to former President Jimmy Carter during a discussion at a Clinton Global Initiative meeting Tuesday, June 14, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
The impressive output of life work done by both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton after they left office is unchallengeable, if not extraordinary. No matter what their political or personal failures had been as Presidents, nor their mistakes in calculating complex national policy or foreign engagement decisions, all of which makes them no different from any who took the pledge before and since, their post presidency behaviors put them in a separate class that few have belonged.
By looking at these men as examples, two who have redefined philanthropy and humanitarian endeavors, perhaps the best and fairest way to sum up any past President’s values and dedication to a mission, is not by solely assessing the typical President’s tenure of congressional bickering, manipulative stalemates, politically licensed bribery, conflicts, double standards, and compromises.
By looking at their life ahead, after they left elected office, we get to see ex politicians less encumbered by our flawed democratic process, and more effective in doing what they really want to do as private individuals.
There’s a lot to be learned by observing Presidents after they leave the White House. Carter and now Clinton are two we should be proud of.