>> CATHY: THIS PAST WEEKEND WE LEARNED THAT FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER HAS DECIDED TO ENTER HOSPICE CARE AT HIS HOME IN GEORGIA.

CARTER, WHO TURNED 98 LAST OCTOBER, IS OUR NATION'S LONGEST-LIVING PRESIDENT AND HAS BUILT A REPUTATION OF TIRELESS PUBLIC SERVICE.

NEARLY 40 YEARS AGO FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER APPEARED ON "ALMANAC" AS HE WAS TOURING THE NATION IN SUPPORT OF HIS BOOK ON MIDDLE EASTERN POLITICS: "THE BLOOD OF ABRAHAM."

"ALMANAC" HAD JUST BEEN ON THE AIR FOR A FEW MONTHS, AND THE CARTER STUDIO INTERVIEW WAS MEMORABLE FOR SEVERAL REASONS.

BRENDAN HENEHAN WAS SITTING IN THE "ALMANAC" PRODUCER'S CHAIR IN 1985 WHEN CARTER WAS A GUEST.

AND HE'S MADE A RARE TRIP FROM THE CONTROL ROOM TO THE STUDIO TO TALK A BIT ABOUT THE CARTER VISIT.

NICE TO SEE YOU ACTUALLY OUT HERE.

>> THAT HAPPENS NOT VERY OFTEN.

>> Cathy: I DIDN'T THINK SO, YEAH.

HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU ET FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER ERE ON THE SET?

>> YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PRODUCER AT THE STATION, YOU KNOW, WHO CALLED AND SAID, YOU KNOW, I THINK I KNOW THE PUBLICIST AND PRESIDENT CARTER'S DOING A BOOK TOUR, WOULD YOU EVER BE INTERESTED IN HAVING HIM ON ALMANAC?"

I SAID, SURE.

CAN YOU MAKE THAT HAPPEN?

AND THEY SAID, YEAH, I THINK SO.

I SAID, WELL, TRY IT.

AND IT ACTUALLY WORKED.

>> Eric: "ALMANAC" WAS RELATIVELY NEW PROGRAM AT THE TIME.

WAS THIS A BIG DEAL FOR THE PROGRAM?

>> YEAH.

AND IT WAS A BIG DEAL, YOU KNOW, FOR THE STATION.

WE WERE IN THE OLD FACILITY BY, YOU KNOW, THE STATE FAIRGROUNDS ON COMO AVENUE.

AS FAR AS I KNOW, YOU KNOW, FORMER PRESIDENT HAD NEVER BEEN IN OUR STUDIO BEFORE.

AND YOU'RE RIGHT, "ALMANAC" WAS NEW.

AND IT WAS REALLY A COUP FOR US TO KIND OF GET IT.

SO IT WAS A WILD RIDE.

>> Cathy: WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE EVENING?

>> WE PRETAPED IT.

>> Cathy: OH, YOU DID?

>> HE WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO JOIN US LIVE SO WE TAPED IT IN THE AFTERNOON.

BUT NO EDITS, STRAIGHT TO TAPE.

IT WAS LIKE A 20-MINUTE INTERVIEW.

AND THE HOSTS WERE NEW, JAN SMABY, JOE SUMMERS WERE NEW, I WAS A PUPPY IN THE CONTROL ROOM, SO, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US WERE 8 A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT IT.

I THOUGHT IT TURNED OUT GREAT.

>> Eric: WE'VE GOT A CLIP.

WHY DON'T YOU SET IT UP FOR US.

>> YEAH, SO, JIMMY CARTER, HE'D WRITTEN A BOOK ON THE MIDDLE EAST SO, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT A BIT, YOU BUT WE TALKED ABOUT OTHER THINGS IN THE INTERVIEW AS WELL.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT AS THE IRANIAN HOSTAGE CRISIS.

AND, SO, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT A CLIP THAT TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND MEDIA COVERAGE OF HIS PRESIDENCY.

AND OF IT STARTED A LITTLE NERVOUSLY WITH HOST JAN SMABY ASKING PRESIDENT CARTER ABOUT THE IRANIAN HOSTAGE SITUATION AND HE LAUGHED A LITTLE BIT, TAKE A OOK, IT'S RARE MOMENT.

>> YOU WERE HURT AND HURT BADLY WHEN THE RESCUE MISSION THAT YOU SENT TO RESCUE THE HOSTAGES FAILED.

>> YES.

>> AND, YET -- [ Laughter ] >> LIKE THE WALTER RONKITE IN 110 DAYS.

AND, YET, PRESIDENT REAGAN SEEMED NEARLY UNTOUCHED WHEN OVER 200 AMERICAN SOLDIERS WERE KILLED BY THE TERRORIST BOMBS IN LEBANON TWO YEARS AGO.

WHY THE DIFFERENCE?

AND HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?

>> WELL, PRESIDENT REAGAN HAS BEEN UNBELIEVABLY SUCCESSFUL IN AVOIDING ANY RESPONSIBILITY EVER OR ANYTHING THAT WAS UNPLEASANT OR DISAPPOINTING OR POLITICALLY UNPOPULAR.

HE IS A REMARKABLE -- HE HAS A REMARKABLE FACILITY OF SHIFTING THE BLAME OR RESPONSIBILITY TO SOMEONE ELSE.

SOMETIMES TO THE REPUBLICAN SENATE, SOMETIMES TO THE DEMOCRATIC HOUSE.

SOMETIMES TO THE NEWS MEDIA.

SOMETIMES TO FOREIGNERS.

SOMETIMES TO HIS OWN STAFF MEMBERS OR CABINET OFFICERS.

AND I HAVE TO SAY, QUITE OFTEN, TO HIS PREDECESSORS IN OFFICE, NOT JUST ME, BUT QUITE OFTEN EVEN TO PRESIDENT ORD AND NIXON.

AND I THINK THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, AND I HAVE TO ADD THE AMERICAN NEWS MEDIA, HAVE GONE ALONG WITH THIS PLOY OF HIS AND HAS MADE IT VERY SUCCESSFUL.

>> DO YOU HAVE -- DO YOU HAVE A FEELING AS TO WHY THE NEWS MEDIA HAS, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SO WILLING TO ACCEPT THIS?

>> I REALLY CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT.

IN MY LIFETIME IN POLITICS, JUST AS A SMALL BOY, IN THE BEGINNING, THERE HAVE BEEN FOUR PRESIDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN TREATED VERY FAVORABLY BY THE PRESS.

FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, DWIGHT EISENHOWER, JOHN KENNEDY AND RONALD REAGAN.

AND IF YOU GO DOWN THE LIST OF THE OTHERS, YOU SEE THAT AT TIMES THEY WERE TREATED AS ADVERSARIES BY THE RESS AND WERE CONDEMNED SEVERELY.

PERHAPS WORST CASE WAS WITH HARRY TRUMAN.

BUT IT WAS THE ALSO -- IT WAS ALSO THE CASE WITH LYNDON JOHNSON AND WAS THE CASE WITH NIXON AND WITH ME.

AND STRANGELY ENOUGH, EVEN GERALD FORD, WHO WASN'T THERE VERY LONG.

MOST OF WHAT I REMEMBER ABOUT THE PRESS, THEY MADE IT LOOK IT AS THOUGH HE WAS AN INCOMPETENT BUMBLER, HE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING PHYSICALLY THAT WAS RIGHT.

HE COULDN'T GET OUT OF A HELICOPTER WITHOUT BUMPING HIS HEAD, FELL DOWN ON THE SKI SLOPES.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, HE PROBABLY WAS THE BEST ATHLETE THAT EVER LIVED IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

BUT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY THE PRESS HAS TREATED RONALD REAGAN WITH SUCH LOVE AND AFFECTION AND PROTECTION.

ONE OF THE MAJOR GOALS IN MY LIFE, AND WHERE ROWS LYNN AND I WILL SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE OF IS IN THE CARTER CENTER OF EMORY UNIVERSITY, WHERE ON STRICTLY NONPARTISAN BASIS, WE'LL ADDRESS THE MAJOR ISSUES AFFECTING OUR COUNTRY AND THE REST OF THE WORLD.

I'VE BEEN VERY CAREFUL TO MAKE THIS A BIPARTISAN EFFORT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, ARMS CONTROL.

PRESIDENT GERALD FORD HAS BEEN MY CO-CHAIRMAN, WE SPENT A YEAR AND A HALF ON HEALTHCARE, PRESIDENT REAGAN'S OWN SECRETARY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, IS MY CO-CHAIRMAN.

SO I'VE BEEN VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BECOME KNOWN AS A PARTISAN DEMOCRAT IN MY WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY.

AND I DON'T INTEND TO GET INVOLVED IN ANY SORT OF PARTISAN AFFAIRS IN 1988.