President Carter came to my office to meet with my boss and a variety of Middle East experts. The Elders are considering a trip to the Middle East to bolster and support the peace process. I had the chance to sit in on these meetings and take notes. It was an incredible experience listening to history. President Carter is much maligned, unfairly at times, but in the few hours I got to spend with him I saw vitality, commitment, and honesty. Its strange that there are times in American history when we as citizens are graced with a leader that desperately cares about freedom and human rights. Now is not one of those times. President Carter was one of those leaders and still is, though history has written him off. He's not your average politician. He's really the epitome of an Elder. A strong, principled, wise person that I found a new respect for in a few short hours.