He was a decent President - who was up against some insane challenges that happened while he was President, but not "because" he was President. He handled some of them well - such as ending the war between Egypt and Israel, strengthening America's position against Russian nuclear weapons. Some not so well - he and Congress had a tumultuous relationship and he often would snipe at them. He floundered during the Iran oil strike/energy crisis/inflation, which culminated in one recession caused by the Federal Reserve's monetary policies. Then a second recession caused by a shift to another extreme set of policies by the Federal Reserve. In other words - it happened on Carter's watch. But Carter didn't cause it or create it. He just got stuck holding the bag, so to speak.
But he was one of the Great Humanitarians of the last century, beginning in his childhood during Segregation, when he defied his father's wishes and befriended black workers on the farm - and worked WITH them because he considered himself to be their equal, not their superior, throughout his life serving his local community, and post-Presidency continuing his peace missions and direct personal involvement in Habitat for Humanity, even into his 90's. He was a life-long servant of the people.
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