Today America and the world, in my view, lost a remarkable leader. He was a statesman and humanitarian. And Jill and I lost a dear friend. I’ve been hanging out with Jimmy Carter for over 50 years, it dawned on me. He used to kid me about it, that I was the first national figure to endorse him in 1976, when he ran for president. What I find extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people all around the world, all over the world, feel they lost a friend as well, even though they never met him. And that’s because Jimmy Carter lived a life measured not by words but by his deeds. Just look at his life, his life’s work. He worked to eradicate disease, not just at home but around the world. Jimmy Carter was just as courageous in his battle against cancer as he was in everything in his life. Cancer was a common bond between our two families, as in many other families. And our son Beau died, when he died Jimmy and Rosalynn were there to help us heal. Jimmy knew the ravages of the disease too well. We talked and shared our beliefs that as a nation we have the talent, we have the talent and the resources to one day end cancer as we know it, if we make the investments. He believed that like I do. We’d all do well to try to be a little more like Jimmy Carter. You know, my mom – you’ve heard me say this before – she’d say: Bravery lives in every heart, and someday it’ll be summoned. Every time it was summoned he stepped up.
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