John McCain Has Some Nerve To Speak About MLK Today
 Friday, April 4th, 2008

On the anniversary of MLK's assassination, Senator John McCain was on live TV today (what else is new?) talking about Martin Luther King, Jr.  "We can be slow as well to give greatness its due.  A mistake I myself made long ago...when I voted against a federal holiday in member of Dr. King.  I was wrong.  I was wrong.  I was wrong."  He said he turned around in time to recognize the holiday in his home state of Arizona.  There were boos.  But this was a prepared speech.  He was ready for this, and it was airing on live TV.  A voice shouted above all the others, "Everybody makes mistakes, everybody makes mistakes."

Long ago, he said.  McCain cast that vote, against honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. in a federal holiday, in 1983.  MLK was killed in 1968; in '71 he won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording for his Why I Oppose The War In Vietnam; he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.  By 1983 - which is not that long ago for McCain, a 71-year-old man - King had been dead for 15 years but had a building legacy of peace, nonviolence, and awards.

In Iowa in October of 2007, John McCain said on the campaign trail--just as he has spoken out many times on the utilization of torture tactics (both in Vietnam and the current war in Iraq)--"When I was imprisoned, I took heart from the fact that I knew my North Vietnamese captors would never be treated like I was treated by them.  There are much better and more effective ways to get information.  You torture someone long enough, he'll tell you whatever he thinks you want to know."

But on February 14th, 2008, McCain voted against a bill that would prevent the CIA from employing torture.  The bill passed anyway, just barely.  But President Bush quickly vetoed it, saying it "would take away one of the most valuable tools of the war on terror."  Less than 3 weeks later, Bush and the National GOP declared John McCain the winner of the Republican Party's nomination.  Which will be John McCain's mistake on torture?

In 1999, McCain said "Certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations."  An amendment came before the Senate that year indicating Congress' support of the Supreme Court's decision to legalize abortion in Roe V. Wade.  McCain, a member of the Senate, did not show up and cast no vote.  The bill passed.  On February 18, 2007, he said, "I do not support Roe V. Wade.  It should be overturned."  Which will be John McCain's mistake on abortion?

If there's one thing President Bush and Senator McCain have staunchly agreed on over the years, however, it's been Yea to funding for the Iraq War, Nay to including any timetables for withdrawal, Nay to withdrawing any troops, Nay to including funds for Hurricane Katrina victims, and Nay to allocating funds for Military and Veteran housing programs.  Aren't these things important to know?  When will we acknowledge that funding Bush's War and neglecting our own people was a mistake?

Oh dear Dr. King.  If you were only alive today.

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