Jimmy Carter to Offer Support, Not Endorsement, for Dean

Former President Jimmy Carter will offer support for Democratic White House hopeful Howard Dean in a joint appearance in Georgia on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, campaign aides said on Tuesday.

Carter was expected to remain officially neutral, but words of praise could help boost the former Vermont governor's chances when the race turns to the South on Feb. 3.

Carter predicted late last year that Dean's chances in Iowa and New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Jan. 27, looked "quite, quite good." Carter's son, Chip, is supporting and helping the Dean campaign.

"My overwhelming desire ... is to help the candidate that, in the last stages, maybe even of the primary, I think will do the best job in defeating George Bush in November," Carter said in an appearance on the CNN program "Larry King Live."