McCain on MLK - We All Make Mistakes

April 5, 2008 Christina V. Mills Over the past couple of days, America has mourned the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death.   The media has been reminiscing about King’s life, showing what a powerful person he truly was to those who were not fortunate enough to meet him or even live during his time. In this time of Barack Obama, many individuals are motivated to involve themselves in politics for the first time and are immensely proud of the fact that the United States is at a point that it may finally elect an African American president.  In such a frenzy, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget the originator of the change that Obama speaks of. And yet, while the name of Martin Luther King is on everyone’s tongue and is universally remembered positively, it is strange to think of a time during which people would not want to celebrate this name.   McCain was one of those who voted against making a holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr.  Admittedly, I was disappointed and shocked to find out that a candidate that I was likely to support did not think that King warranted a holiday. In fact, I never even found out about this vote until McCain publicly apologized for the decision, admitting that he was, “a little late in doing the right thing.” Yet rather than meeting a crowd of hostile individuals, who felt the same shock that I did for his decision, he had a surprisingly warm reception from the crowd, as they interrupted his speech shouting, “we forgive you,” and, “we all make mistakes.” I would never accuse John McCain of racist feelings being the root of his decision.  Considering that he adopted a child from Bangladesh, I am in fact certain that McCain has no ill will in his heart for any ethnic group. And while we may never know the true reasons for McCain’s decision long ago, in a way it no longer matters.  Though it does give me pause, I deeply respect John McCain for admitting when he was wrong, a feat that many people never accomplish.   This powerful moment shows that Senator McCain is a reflective person.  While he may seem to be staunch and unchanging on many decisions, such as that on the war and does not change with the wind, it is clear that McCain does look back on his decisions to evaluate them with new knowledge.   If he were president, I have confidence that he would continue to do the same.  And I too forgive you, John McCain.