In an outrageous display of partisanship, some of those who claim to love and revere the widow of Martin Luther King used the solemn occasion of her memorial service as a platform to express political views. Self-promoting, self-absorbed leaders took the opportunity to use the rostrum to “dis” the President of the United States and his administration for their policies. And, in my opinion, “dissed” the memory of the woman they were there to honor in the process.

No matter what one’s personal views may be, I don’t believe a memorial service should be used as a platform to make political points or attempt to embarrass an important guest, such as the President of the United States, who was there not only to pay his personal respects but to represent the entire nation.

The speakers at Mrs. King’s memorial service were not just run-of-the-mill politicians, but important leaders, who should have known better but didn’t care. They included Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a long-time political activist who helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King. CNN reported (February 7), “Lowery’s remarks and other barbs were met with bursts of applause,” which certainly creates the impression that he was playing more to the audience than simply paying his respects to Mrs. King.

By deliberately using the occasion as a platform for an attempt to embarrass President Bush, they only succeeded in embarrassing themselves. People like former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, among others, used the forum given to them for the purpose of honoring a great lady to criticize George W. Bush and rally partisans on the left, thereby politicizing the occasion.

Coretta Scott King’s memorial service should have been not only an opportunity to honor her, but also a way to bridge differences and perhaps help heal old wounds, in the spirit of her life, as well as that of her husband. Unfortunately, some people are never open to healing, as much as they may talk about it themselves. My sense is that most of those who are the most vocal about challenging others to be an instrument of “healing” generally only mean “healing” on their own terms.

One report said that W. appeared to be embarrassed and uncomfortable. If true, who wouldn’t be, having to sit through a series of political insults at a gathering to honor the passing of one of the nation’s most revered women.

NewsMax.com (Feb 7, 2006) reported that “The Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton lambasted President Bush…faulting him for the Iraq war and for ignoring the plight of black people.” They also criticized him for the “Hurricane Katrina disaster and for diverting the nation’s resources to the Iraq war.”

My question is, were these religious leaders there to score political points for themselves or to honor Mrs. King?

I’m reminded of the funeral of Paul Wellstone (D-MN), when his son and a group of political operatives decided to turn his memorial service in October 2002 into an overt political rally. In an obnoxious display of political partisanship, they aggressively exhorted those who had come to pay their respects to this fine man to defeat his Republican opponent in a campaign in which Mr. Wellstone had been running for re-election. It backfired, and with good reason. Time magazine reported that a poll conducted later by Mark Penn, Bill Clinton’s former pollster, found that “49% of voters said the service made them less likely to vote for a Democrat – and 67% of independents said they felt that way.” (Time, Nov 09, 2002).

Although many people may have feelings similar to mine about politicizing Coretta Scott King’s memorial service, I don’t think it is likely to produce the type of reaction the Wellstone incident did, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.

In a wonderful example of the courage and character of Mrs. King, Angela Mayou related a story about Mrs. King answering the phone at home one evening when someone called to threaten Martin Luther King’s life. After hearing the threat, Mrs. King responded, “My husband is asleep and does not like to be disturbed. He asked me to get the name and phone number of anyone who called to threaten him, so he could call them back in the morning.” That is just one of many great stories about Mrs. King that have become an important part of her legacy to the culture and history of America.

Equally as offensive to me as using the occasion of the memorial service for someone of Mrs. King’s stature to take political cheap shots was the protesting by those who disagree with her views on certain issues, such as members of the Westboro Baptist Church, who appeared to protest her support of gay rights. Talk about poor taste and unseemly behavior. As an equal opportunity critic, I find it appalling that people go out of their way to try to disrupt a gathering that has assembled to honor the memory of a person such as Mrs. King with some sort of public protest. Surely her memory does not deserve this from either side.

I say, “a pox on both their houses.”

In the final analysis, I believe that people who treat the funeral or memorial service of someone they wish to honor as some sort of platform for scoring political points only end up disrespecting the memory of the very person they wish to honor. The obvious counter to this, of course, is that they are merely doing what the decedent would have wanted them to do. I simply disagree. W’s father, Bush 41, (in a radio interview with CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer), said, “In terms of the political shots at the president who was sitting there with his wife, I didn’t like it and I thought it was kind of ugly frankly,” adding, “Anybody that shoots at the president of the United States at a funeral, I just didn’t appreciate that.”

In his usual plainspoken way, former President Bush (41) echoes my sentiments exactly. But, I guess that’s what makes horse racing, isn’t it?

© 2006, Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved