Carter endorses Gore, calls him 'man of character'

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Five days before the presidential election, former president Jimmy Carter has endorsed Democratic candidate Al Gore, calling him a good man with the character for the job.

"Character is not what is left after you have parsed every word and phrase spoken in the heat of an intense campaign," said Carter in a statement from the Atlanta-based Carter Center. "Rather, it is the sum of a lifetime of work, a record of accomplishment, and a set course for the future."

Carter cited Gore's service in Vietnam, family life and Congressional record as evidence the Democrat could manage the pressures of the presidency.

"Yes, the job demands character," Carter said. "But character is all of these many things -- and that is why, if character is the measure, Al Gore deserves your vote for president of the United States."

Carter warned voters against turning away from Gore because of minor differences, and said he was concerned about a repeat of Hubert Humphrey's 1968 loss.

"A good man lost," Carter said of Humphrey, "and I am firmly convinced that those who care deeply about our environment, the less fortunate, and women's rights would make a serious and far-reaching mistake by turning away from Al Gore."