WASHINGTON — Former Democratic president Jimmy Carter will address the party's nominating convention next month by video in primetime, but will not attend in person, officials said Tuesday.
Carter, who served a single term between 1977 and 1981 has a complex legacy for Democrats as he has been ridiculed for years as a symbol of failed domestic policy and foreign policy weakness by Republicans.
But convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa said: "President Carter is one of the greatest humanitarian leaders of our time and a champion of democracy around the globe."
"A lifelong champion of human rights and investments in education and energy to spur economic development, President Carter will provide unique insight into President Obama's ability to move our country forward and why we need his vision and leadership for a second term."
In a statement distributed by the Democratic National Committee 87-year-old Carter said that he was sorry he and his wife Rosalynn would not be at the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, beginning on September 4.
"However, we remain steadfast in our support for President Obama and the progress he will make in the next four years," he said.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Carter has spent decades traveling the world as head of the Carter Center, which fights for democratic freedoms and human rights and seeks to solve conflicts around the world.
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