I recall him as a smug, arrogant, self-rightious little anti semitic prick then as well. IMHO, nothing much has changed with this guy over the years. He still hasn't meet a 3rd world thug he doesn't love.
I would hate to argue with such a colorful and accurate discription. However, I do think the evolution of Carter is improtant. Back when he was president, he was mostly afraid of those 3rd rate dictators, and did his best to turn America into a second rate nation (for our own good, don't you know). After Reagan exposed Carter for the dismal failure that he was, Carter really began to hate the US. "How dare they succeed, after I Jimmy the Great was such an abject disaster." That is when he started to love dictators. Afterall, anyone who hates the country as much as Jimmy must be a cool guy.