I'm am disgusted to see a funeral once again being used as a political prop. A funeral or memorial is a solemn occasion and not a forum to take stabs at one's political opponents. I was sad to be an American, watching as our beloved President was forced to sit as his policies, which have done no harm to the black community, were questioned. Dr. King and Coretta must have looked down with shame. What kind of sick people would use the death of a great American for political gain? I'm equally sickened by the press who has barraged us with articles about Bush "squirming on the dais." Do we really need to know that Bush, "...wore a tight grin?" Only a true political hack would make the reactions and expressions of a President at a funeral the focus of their reporting.
(Onto the flip before you curse me, all emphasis mine.)
Who was Rev. Lowery to say, "We know now that there were no WMDs in that country [Iraq]...but, there are weapons of mass misdirection right down here."
A memorial is no place to challenge our leader or promote one's own foreign policy.
This new kind of war also requires us to confront outlaw regimes that seek and possess the tools of mass murder. We will not permit a dictator who has used weapons of mass destruction to threaten America with chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. This great nation -- (applause) -- this great nation will not live at the mercy of any foreign plot or power. The dictator of Iraq will fully disarm, or the United States will lead a coalition and disarm him. (Applause.)
- George W. Bush, Arlington National Cemetery, Veteran's Day, 2002
We are joined by a great coalition of nations to rid the world of terror. And we will not allow any terrorist or tyrant to threaten civilization with weapons of mass murder.
- George W. Bush's Remarks to Nation on Sept. 11, 2002, New York, NY
Seriously, could you imagine the outrage if at a time when the Iraq war was loosing popularity, Bush stood over the graves of the fallen and used the occasion to promote his war, and tout his false success?
The war on terror has brought great costs. For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq, today is a day of last letters and fresh tears. Because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, two terror regimes are gone forever, freedom is on the march, and America is more secure...
As we look across these acres, we begin to tally the cost of our freedom, and we count it a privilege to be citizens of the country served by so many brave men and women. (Applause.) And we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives, by defeating the terrorists, advancing the cause of liberty, and building a safer world.
George W. Bush, Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Day, May 30, 2005
How dare Rev. Lowery claim, "For war, billions more, but no more for the poor."
A funeral is no place for some minister, even the President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to compare our nations foreign and domestic priorities..
He was murdered by the timidity of a federal government that can spend millions of dollars a day to keep troops in South Vietnam, yet cannot protect the lives of its own citizens seeking constitutional rights.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Eulogy for Rev. James Reeb, Selma, Alabama March 15, 1965
Furthermore, we should be sickened by those who would use a solemn memorial as a political backdrop.
(Tobyhanna, PA, Veteran's Day)
I think we can all agree, there is never, ever, ever an appropriate time for people to use a funeral as an excuse to stand for a political belief or promote any type of political action.
The U.S. representative at the funeral, Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, called again on Syria to withdraw its troops — a further spike in U.S.-Syrian tensions a day after the U.S. recalled its ambassador from Damascus.
"Mr. Hariri's death should give — in fact it must give — renewed impetus to achieving a free, independent and sovereign Lebanon," Burns said after a meeting later in the day with Lebanon's foreign minister.
- Funeral Become's Anti-Syria Rally, CBS News
Simply outrageous! Even a good liberal like me can see that we must stop our party from shamelessly exploiting death before they really cross the line. What's next from them, Hilary Clinton appearing on the Jumbo-tron at an Atlanta Falcon's game to plug her Presidential bid while exploiting King's death?
Bush even went back to the bloody well during the presidential campaign, addressing his (Tillman's) team's fans on the Arizona Cardinals' stadium Jumbotron.
Pat Tillman, Our Hero, The Nation
Mostly, I'm outraged by the behavior of President Jimmy Carter. A President should know better. What type of President would use the death of an American hero as a call to arms for the freedom and equality --regardless of race, sex, or sexual orientation -- for which Mrs. King so steadfastly fought?
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion....
- Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
This type of partisan troop rallying, truly crosses the line.