Jimmy Carter: His Role as Former President Is 'Probably Superior' to Others'

When it comes to former presidents, Jimmy Carter thinks he stacks up quite well, thank you.

In an interview Monday with NBC News' Brian Williams, Carter said because of his work as a mediator in troubled parts of the world and also the activity of his Atlanta-based Carter Center, "my role as a former president is probably superior to that of other presidents."

Under his leadership, the Carter Center has filled "vacuums in the world. When the United States won't deal with troubled areas, we go there and we meet with leaders who can bring an end to a conflict or an end to a human rights abuse and so forth. So I feel that I have an advantage over many other former presidents in being involved in daily affairs that have shaped the policies of our nation and the world."

Carter, interviewed about his latest book, "White House Diary," later amended his comment about other former occupants of the White House to soften the impression that he was making direct comparisons. The Carter Center "has provided me with superior opportunities," he said.

Carter doesn't spend a lot of time on the golf course, that's for sure. With his brand of personal diplomacy, he has traveled the world addressing human rights issues. In August, he traveled to North Korea and won the release of an American, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who had been held in the communist country since January after crossing the border from South Korea.

He isn't shy about addressing his rocky four years in the White House either. In an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday, Carter said the late Sen. Ted Kennedy had blocked his administration's universal health care bill prior to the 1980 presidential election, apparently to deny Carter a political advantage. Kennedy challenged Carter in the Democratic presidential primary and lost, but weakened Carter going into the general election campaign against Ronald Reagan.