What Jimmy Carter’s Fondness for “Imagine” Reveals about His Morally Stunted Worldview

At the funeral service for Jimmy Carter at the National Cathedral, the musical fare included some traditional Christian hymns, along with a live performance of John Lennon’s 1971 “Imagine.” This utopian anthem, as was widely pointed out at the time, was a favorite of the deeply religious former president, despite its expression of yearning for a time when there are not only “no countries” but also “no religions.” Meir Soloveichik argues that the song nonetheless captures something about Carter’s outlook and “his embrace of, and praise for, tyrants as if they were legitimate leaders.” He writes: