Biden hails 'strength of character' in Carter tribute

Every living American president filed into pews at the Washington National Cathedral yesterday to honour one of their own at the funeral for Jimmy Carter, who died late last month at 100 years old.

- ANDREW FEINBERG

Ther 39th president was remembered as a compassionate Christian and progressive, despite serving a single term in the White House that was seen as a disappointment at the time.

President Joe Biden, who was the first senator to endorse Carter's successful bid for the White House in 1976, eulogized Carter for having a "deep Christian faith in God" that informed his extraordinary life, during which he "never let the tides of politics divert him from his mission to serve and shape the world".

"Throughout his life, he showed us what it means to be a practitioner of good works and a good and faithful servant of God and of the people," said Mr Biden, who praised Carter as having seen "well into the future" even though he had appeared to many as being a relic of "a bygone era".

"A white southern Baptist who led us on civil rights, a decorated Navy veteran who brokered peace, a brilliant nuclear engineer who led on nuclear nonproliferation, a hard-working farmer who championed conservation and clean energy ... through it all, he showed us how character and faith start with ourselves and then flows to others," he said.

Noting how Carter had risen from a humble beginning to "the pinnacle of power" while keeping his own faith at the center of the politics he practiced, Mr Biden recalled how as a freshman senator, he became the first member of the upper chamber to endorse the then-Georgia governor during his long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976.

He said his decision to endorse Carter at the time was based on the Georgian's "most enduring attribute: character, character, character".

"Jimmy Carter's friendship taught me, and through his life, taught me, that strength of character is more than title or the power we hold. It's the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, that everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot," Mr Biden said.