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McCain Regrets MLK Vote
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ShareApril 04, 2008 1:44 PM
ABC News' Jan Simmonds reports: Sen. John McCain R-AZ spoke before a crowd of several hundred this morning in the pouring rain outside the Loraine Motel in Memphis, TN, the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Hr was assassinated 40 years ago today, and now home to the National Civil Rights Museum.
Invited to speak by the Southern Christian Leadership Council, McCain was greeted by a smattering of boos from the mostly African American crowd, as he spoke glowingly of the Civil Rights Leader.
McCain reiterated that he now regrets his vote some 25 years ago in the House against the House bill that declared Martin Luther King Day a federal holiday. The bill was cleared by the House in 1983 by a vote of 338-90 before making its way to the Senate, where it passed with a 78-22 vote.
Watch the VIDEO HERE.
"We can be slow as well to give greatness its due, a mistake I made myself long ago when I voted against a federal holiday in memory of Dr. King. I was wrong and eventually realized that, in time to give full support for a state holiday in Arizona," McCain said.
Speaking about the type of man King was, McCain noted that he was not a man who would "flinch from harsh truth".
The Arizona Senator also recalled how he first heard news of Dr. King’s assassination, while captive in Vietnam.
"I remember first learning what had happened here on the fourth of April, 1968, feeling just as everyone else did back home," said McCain. "Only perhaps even more uncertain and alarmed for my country in the darkness that was then enclosed around me and my fellow captives. In our circumstances at the time, good news from America was hard to come by. But the bad news was a different matter, and each new report of violence, rioting, and other tribulations in America was delivered without delay."
"Yet how differently it all turned out," he added. "And if they had been the more reflective kind, our enemies would have understood that the cause of Dr. King was bigger than any one man, and could not be stopped by force of violence."
April 4, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (150)
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I don't care how you vote. McCain is no war criminal. He is a veteran and a hero who had the guts to go and do what most of us never will. Don't like his politics, vote against him. Think he's apologizing because its an election year - maybe. Think he was wrong for voting for Iraq war - fair enough. We can all agree to disagree and vote our conscience. But even Obama said he was an American hero. On that Mr. Obama and I are in complete agreement - and I thank him for his words - some of you should listen to them.
Posted by: Mark | Apr 4, 2008 3:04:40 PM
Mark
Outstanding Point!!!
Posted by: Jason | Apr 4, 2008 3:07:59 PM
Just because Byrd - and others - haven't apologized for civil rights doesn't mean that McCain shouldn't apologize. It means he has more class than they do - or that its an election year. It is a good thing to point out that Kennedy and Johnson could not have gotten civil rights passed without Republican votes - we always conveniently forget that - but Republicans shouldn't be thanked for doing the right thing - no one should as it ought to be expected. And everyone should atone for mistakes - we all make them - even in non election years.
Posted by: Mark | Apr 4, 2008 3:08:56 PM
McPain is coming forward with this before the Democrats start concentrating on him more intensely. He's no fool, he's just trying to head them off. McPain's voting record on allot things are going to start showing up. I'm not fooled by this so called 'kinder gentler' John McPain. I can't wait until this 'new young progressive' voter of the Democratic party start to work on him. The Republicans have no idea what's about to happen to their candidate. McPain's age is going to be his 'achilles' heel with the young voters of today. The conservatives look like dinosaurs with this candidate, nothing new is happening in the Republican party, and I wanted to vote Republican this time because i'm an Independent.
Posted by: dee | Apr 4, 2008 3:10:00 PM
I sometimes have a hard time separating the evil and racist things people do and say from the acts of good. I usually always side with the fact the racism and evilness outweigh the good. The bad usually is a true reflection on how someone truly is. McCain is an idiot that will keep us at war and begin new ones only to keep his war-mongering alive. He is a very bad choice for any office, war hero or not.
Posted by: Kris | Apr 4, 2008 3:13:14 PM
em- i'm an obama supporter, but it's worthwhile to make sure the truth is out there and you're voting for the right reasons... obama didn't vote against the iraq measure. he wasn't in the senate yet. but he did speak to the potential fallout from invading iraq before we went in.
Posted by: zack | Apr 4, 2008 3:15:01 PM
Let's be totally fair then. Obama said that he would unilaterally bomb Pakistan.Should we speak about the fallout from that.
Posted by: sitting1 | Apr 4, 2008 3:18:05 PM
If speaking of Obama you got ot just right.
Posted by: sitting1 | Apr 4, 2008 3:21:37 PM
McCain never had the (vast majority) African American vote to begin with and never will. McCain is clearly pandering to whomever he thinks will vote for him. It's not working.
As a African American, I'm very happy that there is a national holiday honoring a great American - like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Posted by: Mia | Apr 4, 2008 3:23:05 PM
To Erik - - You mention that you don't know why McCain doesn't tell us what he thought on April 4, 1968 - HE WAS IN THE HANOI HILTON giving almost everything up to protect our country. He does say in his speech how profoundly sad he felt when he was gleefully told by his captors of MLKs assassination. For those too young to have been around during the debate over the MLK holiday, the issue was not whether it should be a named holiday - everyone agreed that it should. The debate was over whether it should be a paid holiday for all federal employees, a new fiscal cost to the government.
Posted by: Doc Savage | Apr 4, 2008 3:33:17 PM
MLK was nothing more than a communist. Anyone ever wonder why his FBI files are sealed to 2023? Because there is plenty in there that would change peoples opinion of that criminal. It is sad that America actually honors that crook with his own holiday. Typical, I guess, considering the world we live in today.
Posted by: bill | Apr 4, 2008 3:34:11 PM
If his voting record as it pertains to which days should be made national holidays is the best people can come up with to target John McCain, sounds like he's a shoo-in.
Posted by: Courtney | Apr 4, 2008 3:34:30 PM
Dear oops, McCain has forgiven the North Vienamese for torturing him. That requires a pretty strong character. I doubt that I could be as forgiving, and wonder whether you could be.
Posted by: Doc Savage | Apr 4, 2008 3:35:43 PM
What qualifies Clinton or Obama for prez? Since neither hardly have any experience.
Posted by: bill | Apr 4, 2008 3:41:39 PM
As if McCain's vote 25 years ago is really going to change how anyone votes in November.
yawn...
Posted by: scotty | Apr 4, 2008 3:41:44 PM
Can you say "McPresident"?
Posted by: conservwithnerv | Apr 4, 2008 3:42:33 PM
I agree with you, but i have to say this, ,actually Reagan did a great job on the economy. Bill did even better, but in the Past 25 years, those two men did very well.
Posted by: Jason | Apr 4, 2008 3:44:13 PM
sitting1: No, in fact Obama did not make that comment in the context you suggest. He said that if actionable intelligence existed that terrorists were in Pakistan, he would give the order to take them out. That is PRECISELY what the present administration did a few weeks ago. Get your facts straight.
Posted by: dano | Apr 4, 2008 3:45:28 PM
AT LEAST MCCAIN HAS THE GUTS AND WITS TO APOLOGIZE UNLIKE THE HATE MONGERING OBAMA WHO TURNED IT AROUND AND IT MADE SOUND LIKE IT'S THE AMERICANS CITIZENS FAULT WHY HIS PASTOR WRIGHT HATES AMERICA....
Posted by: MARINE4EVER | Apr 4, 2008 3:50:03 PM
AT LEAST MCCAIN HAS THE GUTS AND WITS TO APOLOGIZE UNLIKE THE HATE MONGERING OBAMA WHO TURNED IT AROUND AND IT MADE SOUND LIKE IT'S THE AMERICANS CITIZENS FAULT WHY HIS PASTOR WRIGHT HATES AMERICA....
Posted by: MARINE4EVER | Apr 4, 2008 3:52:12 PM
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