Scandalous behavior
"Mark Antony in his famous funeral oration in Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' says that he came not to praise Caesar, but to bury him. This week, at the funeral for the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, two of the speakers, Jimmy Carter and Rev. Joseph Lowery, might have opened their remarks by saying that they came not to bury Coretta Scott King, but to bash [President] Bush, which is exactly what they proceeded to do," Lee Harris writes at www.tcsdaily.com.
"They exploited a solemn occasion in order to take cheap pot shots at the president, keenly aware that their remarks would be broadcast around the world, and into many American classrooms," the writer said.
"Of course, both Carter and Lowery were also aware that the target of their attack, George W. Bush, was sitting right behind them. Had he not been present on the occasion, their Bush-bashing would have only been an affront to good taste.
"But because Bush had come there to honor the memory of Coretta Scott King, and not to engage in a debate with his political opponents, the attacks on him crossed the boundaries of mere bad taste, and became low blows. They were deliberately attacking a man who they knew could not, under the circumstances, defend himself against their assault. Their aim was quite obvious — to embarrass and humiliate Bush in the full knowledge that there was not a thing Bush could decently do about it.
"The president, for example, could not do what most people, including myself, would have done. He could not jump up and simply walk out — that would have created a scandal. Therefore, he had no choice but to sit there and take it. He was hopelessly trapped, and was entirely at the mercy of his assailants — and they knew it. He had to behave like the president, even when a former president, Mr. Carter, was behaving like a cad." |
