= new reply since forum marked as read
And that's what he said. He blames himself for not being more attentive to the Democratic Party and for not working harder to continue the cordial relationship he had with Senator Kennedy at the beginning of his term. But, of course, the big reason was the Iranian hostage crisis. He says "a lot has been written about it," but he still doesn't know "the real reason that the Ayatollah waited until he was out of office to allow the plane carrying the American hostages to take off." He describes hearing that news as "the happiest day of his life." 
During his years in Washington, he didn't even get updates, presidents do this to avoid perceived conflicts of interest. When he returned to Plains, he learned that after serious mismanagement and three years of drought, his business was in serious financial trouble. He stood a good chance of not only losing the farm - left to Miss Lillian and the four children by his late father and managed by Jimmy - but also losing his home, which he had helped to build himself.
The way he finally managed to save both the farm and his home was that he had a buyer for the Carter Warehouse which allowed him to pay off most of the accumulated debt. Jimmy Carter was an honest man and the only "profit" he's made from his years in Washington has been from the many books he's written about his experiences which have been a major source of income for his family. 
