Jimmy Carter Says Biggest Failure was Allowing the American Hostages in Iran Remain Captive for 444 Days

Finally, Jimmy Carter realize that doing nothing to release the American hostages in Iran and allowing them to be kept captive for 444 days would piss the American people at the voting booth. Besides, he was also responsible for high taxes, stagflation, and severe gas shortage.

(Politico)- Former President Jimmy Carter says his biggest failure during his term in the White House was that he didn’t get to spend another four years there.

“I guess my biggest failure was not getting reelected,” he said in an interview with Big Think, referring to the 1980 presidential election.

Carter, 86, said the loss taught him “not to ever let American hostages be held for 444 days in a foreign country without extracting them.” He added, “I did the best I could, but I failed.”

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) challenged Carter in the Democratic primaries “and then that cost me a lot of votes,” the former president said.

“I should have paid more attention to the organization of the Democratic Party,” Carter said. “I was not only the leader of our nation, but I was also the leader of the Democratic Party. And I think I failed in that respect to keep the party united.”