It sure did. Carter was a very decent human being, and still is, but no doubt he was a weak leader in office.

Many who have worked with Obama and know him have said that one of his greatest strengths is the ability to listen, observe, and learn quickly from the mistakes of others, and himself, and not repeat them. You can bet he's studied each of the last half dozen Presidencies and he's taking measures to avoid some of the miscues he's noted. Example - Bill Clinton's transition and first couple months in office were chaotic and disorganized, and Obama has carefully planned appointments, press conferences, and other moves to ensure a much smoothing takeoff. So far the transition is off to a very good start and is getting high marks from most people on both sides of the aisle.