One need not pretend Jimmy Carter was a good president overall in order to appreciate several beneficial things he did within office and without. As Carter prepares to enter eternity, one such thing deserves more attention than it will get.

Others will write, accurately, about what a tremendous breakthrough the Camp David accords were, and about the worthiness of Carter’s post-presidential efforts for Habitat for Humanity. Some conservatives will note his wise efforts to deregulate the airline industry, and my colleague Tiana Lowe is right to credit his grudging acquiescence to necessary monetary policy. And just by beating back Ted Kennedy’s leftist 1980 quest for the Democratic presidential nomination, Carter provided a signal service to the whole body politic.