So much time has been spent around here hating Hillary Clinton, it's easy to forget how much seething contempt I have for John McCain.
In an act of mind-boggling cynicism, McCain plans to speechify today in Memphis, in honor of the fortieth anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. That would be the same Martin Luther King whose legacy the United States clebrates in a national holiday every year. A national holiday McCain initially opposed.
He changed his mind later, of course, but for all appearances, only because of a public outcry. His initial opposition speaks volumes about the man's character. But what lame, cobbled-together explanation does he now offer for changing his mind?
"Well, I learned that this individual was a transcendent figure in American history, that he deserved to be honored, and I thought it was appropriate to do so," he told The New York Times.
Really, Johnny? Sometime in the eighties, you had someone explain to you how important "this individual" was? Were you so isolated in your Naval Academy days you had no knowledge of the momentous events taking place in the outside world? Were you so busy dropping bombs on Southeast Asians you couldn't take a moment to reflect on the truly brave acts of a real American hero? Or could it be that you come from a family of old-fashioned racists, and were inculcated in their ways more deeply than you realized? Have your views really changed, or are you just better at playing the game?
Oh, and I should mention Hillary Clinton will also be in Memphis today, pretending like McCain to give a rat's ass about black Americans. Barack Obama, presumably, doesn't need to pretend.
