joining me now is former president jimmy carter. how are you? >> fine, piers. >> you look in terrific nick. maybe you should become pope. are you four years older than him. what did you make of him retiring because he is exhausted? >> i was surprised. first time in over 600 years. i know john paul ii, whom we knew quite well, went through a lot more ordeals and i think more health problems than pope benedict, but i don't -- i'm not in a position to criticize. i don't know what his status of health is. >> but if an american president retired on the grounds of exhaustion, they would be ridiculed, wouldn't it? >> i think it wasn't just exhaustion, but he wasn't able to handle the mental challenges to handle his job. it's up to him to make a decision. not been done much in the past. >> a lot of people when i said i was interviewing you. >> yes. >> said to me, as long as last time, said he's the greatest post president america has ever had. is that compliment or a veiled insult? >> i take it as a compliment. my wife would take it maybe as a veiled in

jimmy carter was in the white house at the time. you have seen "arg "i take it?>> how accurate is it? >> first of all, i want to say it's a great film and i hope it gets athe award, because it deserves it. i would say 90% of the plan was canadian, and the movie gives almost full credit to the american cia. and with that exception, the movie is very good. but ben affleck's character in the film, he was only in tehran a day and a half, and the main hero in my opinion was ken taylor, a canadian ambassador. i was informed about it the first day and very much involved with the canadian government, because the canadian government would not legally permit six false passports to be issued, so the canadian parliament had to go in secret session the first time in history and voted to let us use six canadian passports that were false. >> when you first heard about this outlandish plan to create a fictitious science fiction movie, you are president of the united states. if this went wrong, would you be a laughing stock. so it's a bold moment for you, for the presidency, for

not be popular with some of you. >> during a stop in the bay area, what jimmy carter had to say. >>> find out what day can be in the middle to lower 70s, the forecast, next there's this island -- and it's got super-cute kangaroos. barrow island has got rare kangaroos. ♪ ♪ chevron has been developing energy here for decades. we need to protect their environment. we have a strict quarantine system to protect the integrity of the environment. forty years on, it's still a class-a nature reserve. it's our job to look after them. ...it's my job to look after it. ♪ ♪ you can't move the tv there. yuh-huh. we have a wireless receiver. listen. back in my day, there was no u-verse wireless receiver that let you move the tv away from the tv outlet. we can move it to the kitchen, the patio, the closet and almost anywhere. why would you want a tv in the closet? [ both laugh ] ♪ ♪ [ fancy voice ] brilliant idea, darling. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] the wireless receiver. get u-verse tv for just $19 a month for 1 year when you bundle tv and internet. rethink possible. certain. but as k-p-i-x 5's david

>> this is what jimmy carter says.entially ran across the room and hugged him. so that's their version of the story. >> thank you! meantime, there's an ad that's stirring up some controversy involving whole foods. president obama's head shot used to promote whole, organic chicken. what's the explanation here? what's this all about? >> yeah, yeah, fred, this had a lot of people scratching their heads. president obama selling chicken. this was only one whole foods store, let's make that clear, on the upper west side of new york city. there were basically -- they put it out on monday on presidents' day to promote the sale of chicken $1.99 a pound. the sale is going on today. a lot of residents and some shoppers were essentially offended by this saying, you know what, it promotes a stereotype of african-americans and chickens. i did some digging today. called up whole foods to talk to them about this and i'm going to read a statement they gave to me. quote, as a company who celebrates diversity and one that has a zero tole

. >>> president jimmy carter is scheduled to speak in san francisco tomorrow. the title of the program is president jimmy carter, challenges of a superpower. he faced an energy crisis and troubled relationship with iran during his term from 1977 to 1981. the event is being held at on van es, and tickets are still available. >>> oh, yeah, fireworks galore. this is one of the only nighttime parades in the country. every single one of the floats is illuminated, many featuring the theme of this year's zodiac sign, the snake. >> it was awesome. this is exciting. this is one of the best things to do on a night like tonight. the air is cold, a lot of people around. it a es going to be a great parade. >> the parade zigzagged through downtown and ended in chinatown where 600,000 firecrackers were set off. the parade attracts close to 1 million people along the route. >> perfect night for it. coming up next, it cleared the bench. the punch that started a big brawl at a college baseball game in sacramento. also -- >> and a terrible crash coming to the finish. >> it's not

. >> rose: he went to work for jimmy carter too, helped jimmy carter get lkt toad. >> that's correct. anyway when i came back from the army, i became a journalist for five years. i had been a journalist in the army during an-- carrying an m-16 and a pencil. and i worked for five years for john significant enthal never nashville, tennessee. you know him well. >> rose: great man. >> great man. learned a lot from him. and i came back to the profession of politics by covering state government in tennessee, city government in nashville first, and then state government, and writing about corruption and doing investigative work. and when a congressional seat came open in my home area, i surprised myself and my family by saying, i think i'm going to run. and i really threw myself into it. and i loved it. i can't even describe in words the feeling that i had doing town hall meetings, even before i took office. i mean it was almost as if you could hear the battle hymn of the republic being hummed in the background. there really is a spirit and majesty to the essence of american democracy that i

and we all laughed at jimmy carter. nd carter was talking about that in a very sophisticated way. a long time ago, 40 years ago, he wanted to make alternative energy our new moon shot. we didn't do it. so when environmental historian yas and the like will start looking at this and say, you know what, carter didn't have the political -- didn't know how to lead, he wasn't a great leader, but he had some important ideas for our country. i think carter sometimes overstates things wrongly about the middle east. i disagree with his views often. but he's always intriguing, interesting to listen to, and people have starting to appreciate that as he's heading into age 90. >> that was an excellent interview that piers morgan did with jimmy carter the other day right here on cnn. doug brinkley, always good to have you on "the situation room," thanks. >> thanks, wolf. >> tonight, piers will take a closer look at the film "argo," all the winner, the losers, from hollywood's big night. 9:00 p.m. eastern. only here on cnn. looking forw

aside from that it is a vivid, wonderful film. >> jimmy carter spoke before the commonwealth club. movie in exaggerating? never? >> he is speaking that the diplomats were put up in the canadian compound in tehran while waiting for rescue. congratulations to everyone. we don't have to single anyone out. >> and the canadians did a good job and affleck, congratulations, i could go on and on like he did but i won't. >> the oscars, then to the forecast. >> good morning, everyone. temperatures are from the same in oakland as 24 hours ago to ten degrees cooler in fairfield and livermore and nine in papa and novato and six in sfo and two in oakland and six in hayward and 15 in san car less. well build in the mid-to-upper 30's for the better part of the morning and low-to-mid 40's at the bay. by noon, you will see high clouds rolling in and dry cold front kicking up the high clouds and making it breezy and mid-50's at 4:00 and the rest of us are in the low-to-mid 60's and clear this morning and the temperatures at the coast are upper 40's and bay and inland are low-to-mid 50's. moving forwa

. >> michael: and then last night argo wins the best picture oscar, but former president jimmy carteraid that they do not get enough credit. argo is spelt with an a. >> ben affleck was in tehran for a day and a half. the real hero was tim tailor, the canadian ambassador. >> michael: and don't look now but there is a slow-speed chase. let's go there life. >> aim not exactly whose idea it was to put me behind the wheel of someone's $85,000 electric vehicle. but they have, and we'll show you why coming up. >> michael: jacki schechner in a tesla. it is "the young turks," and it is our go time. [ ♪ music ♪ ] >> michael: so the cardinals cardinals are all getting together right now. they're starting the conclave to select the new pope. all but one of them is going there. today the only one from the a nightunited kingdom keith o'brien's britain's highest ranking catholic will noting because he resigned in the wake of stinging allegations. here is more on that. >> reporter: one day after he peered out his window for the final time benedict xvi changed the rules for the conclave. vatican insid

. >>> jimmy carter makes a visit here in the bay area. his harsh words for the obama administration and the challenge he issued to the audience. there's this island -- and it's got super-cute kangaroos. barrow island has got rare kangaroos. ♪ chevron has been developing energy here for decades. we need to protect their environment. we have a strict quarantine system to protect the integrity of the environment. forty years on, it's still a class-a nature reserve. it's our job to look after them. ...it's my job to look after it. ♪ >>> more now on that breaking news off the coast of san mateo county. an extensive search is on the way as the coast guard tries to find four people who are believed to have abandoned their sailboat. here's a live look. the coast guard told us they expect one of their two cutters to arrive in the area off the coast within the next hour. the coast guard says two of the four people who are on the boat or were on the boat are children under the age of 8. right now the search is centered about 65 miles off pillar poin

jimmy carter, in the final history of this country is written, jimmy carter will be among the best up there, not ronald reagan. look what jimmy carter did, by holding to signing treaties with panama, he gave the panama canal back to the panamanians. george bush's father arrested noriega and put him in jail. thank you. host: the washington post editorial page weighs in on the question -- who gets the washington post this morning on past presidents. iowa, democratic caller, lisa. caller: good morning. president roosevelt. he was the first president i can rememberhcane helped elderly people who did not have anything. i think he started social security. he had a disability, but it did not stop him from being the best president we ever had and never will. host: what would your parents etc. this question? >> they would've said the same thing if they were alive, i believe. >> is this a president you talked about with your parents? the firsts, he's president i remember. i think i was in grade school when he passed away. host: remember your parents talking about him around the dinner table? ca

had to get on the telephone with the president and read the president's concession statement to jimmy carter. that hurt, i do not enjoy that moment. but it also it was beginning, if you will, of what became the reagan revolution in the sense that those four years of carter laid the stage and set the stage, if you will, for our election of ronald reagan ultimately and then 12 years of government based on the principles we believe in in terms of national security and tax policy and the economy and so forth. the way i look at the present set of circumstances, we're going through one of those same cycles now. what i worry about is barack obama's more competent than jimmy carter was and is doing more damage. i'm very seriously concerned as you can tell from our comments. i'm not worried -- >> rose: it almost seems visceral dislike of this president. >> i try not to make it visceral. he got elected. >> rose: but is it? >> obviously i'm not a fan of barack obama. >> rose: but more than that. >> i'm not a fan of barack obama'ss. although that's a gentlemanly statement, charlie. he won the ecti. but

. >>> jimmy carter makes a vi >>> more now on that breaking news off the coast of san mateo county.extensive search is on the way as the coast guard tries to find four people who are believed to have abandoned their sailboat. here's a live look. the coast guard told us they expect one of their two cutters to arrive in the area off the coast within the next hour. the coast guard says two of the four people who are on the boat or were on the boat are children under the age of 8. right now the search is centered about 65 miles off pillar point but the coast guard is asking the public for help. >> we don't currently know the name of the vessel. where they were going to or coming from or what the vessel looks like or any markings. if anybody has any information regarding this incident. they are asked to notify the coast guard immediately. >>> here's a map of the area. about 65 miles off pillar point drifting south toward santa cruz. the coast guard says it does not know if the people aboard had life jackets, survival suits or a life raft when they abandoned their boat. >>> danica patrick

. >>> former president jimmy carter says he's a proud grandfather because his grandson, james carter,g that famous mitt romney tape where he said that 47% of americans will vote for barack obama no matter what. >> do you think that was the piv pivotal moment? >> i believe it was. it was something he could not deny and it stuck with him for the rest of the election. and i think it was a major factor, if not the major factor. >> president obama was in atlanta last week and thanked james carter personally. >>> new details on the manhunt that captivated the entire nation coming up, the tip from a former mentor that eventually led cops to accused killer christopher dorner. >>> the first lady getting some help from someone who lives on sesame street. [ loud party sounds ] hi, i'm ensure clear... clear, huh? i'm not juice or fancy water. i've got nine grams of protein. that's three times more than me! [ female announcer ] ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ g

. >>> from iran and the middle east, former president jimmy carter showed his thoughts to a bay area audience this afternoon. >>> new details about the arrest of mc hammer in the east bay. and the newspaper report raising questions about olympic athlete oscar pistorius's relationship with his late model girlfriend. >>> forper president jimmy carter spoke to a bay area audience at the commonwealth club this afternoon. the conversation covered a variety of topics, from iran's nuclear ambitions to the oscar- nominated film "argo." >> i'm gonna cover some things here that might not be popular with some of you. >> reporter: the nation's 39th president challenged the coverage to think of ways to improve it. >> since world war ii, we've been almost constantly in war. our country is now looked pop as the foremost war-like nation on earth. >> reporter: the 2002 noble peace prize winner and former navy officer says he is not a passafist. >> we can think of ourselves rs as a great country, and at the same time assess where we are and see if there is room for improvement. >> reporter: when it ca

president clinton has his global initiative and jimmy carter has habitat for humanity but now we know that george w. bush is hard at work painting self portraits in the shower. [ laughter ] that say bold artistic vision that says faces are hard. [ laughter ] it's not like the president sits around day painting shower portraits. he also did one taking a bath because after a hard day's painting in the shower, there's nothing like a relaxing paint in the tub. of course, we may never know exactly what the artist intended with these works but looking at the muted palette, the fusion of the delicate background, i think it's safe to say, how can i kill some time before swamp wars. [laughter] nation, this morning i did what i always do, i went on huffington post to get my rage levels up and to check out the most adorable panda nip slips but when i was there i saw something truly shocking. actual news. according to the 72-point font: pope out. naturally i was shocked. the pope came out of the closet? [laughter] i mean it makes -- [cheers and applause] i mean it makes sense. the guy hasn't had

ronald reagan against jimmy carter. 1981, i had been on my own for -- essentially since 1968. doing something for a periodical of time, but i am not somebody who is an institutional person or a organizational person. i like that, going in a different direction. after two years there, very happily, i wanted to strike out on my own. >> you still write how many columns a week? creators syndicate. >> you spend a lot of time around politicians. i want to see if we can get you to name five of your favorite politicians. >> five people that you remember -- give us the reason why. i might as well throw it out first, because you have a story to tell about bobby kennedy. you have written a lot about that, still write about it to relationship? >> i work for him. -- i worked for him. i worked for senator proxmire, worked labor and civil rights issues for the senator, and i knew senator kennedy, not well, but i went to work for him when he ran for president in 1968. i was in california for the california primary, which he won, and then was murdered. i felt about robert kennedy -- there are

obama profusely thanked his grandson, jimmy carter's grandson in releasing the video putting him overom, and it did. here's what's over the top. it's kind of true. the culture mitt romney was talking about is now coming back to remind all americans that mitt was right. she's thankful that mitt romney exposed it. i don't think mitt romney was exposed the way it was exposed, but, anyway, joins me with jonas and wayne rogers. explain. you have a good point. >> the makers and takers point rt hard on the ears talking about that, but i get thatment you know, we want to take care of the poor, but what happened we had an honest conversation about who pays taxes in the country, what it takes to fund the u.s. government, the fact that the rich really do pay a lot in the way of taxes more than their fair share -- neil: apparently not enough. >> apparently not enough. listen to this important, really interesting information that's coming out from economists. they say it's really hard once you get government benefits to get off because you lose food stamps once you get a job, lose housing assistan