At the Saddleback Forum Saturday night when Rick Warren asked John McCain to name three people that he would seek their counsel if he were elected president. One of the names he said was Congressman John Lewis. When he said it I thought that was an interesting choice, but I really thought these two men really had little or nothing in common. I had never heard of the two men having any association. Lewis is an icon in the civil rights community. As a student he was active and also served with Martin Luther King Jr. John McCain was an opponent of the making King’s birthday a legal holiday back in the early ’80s. Since that time McCain has acknowledged his vote against the hoilday was a mistake. When John Lewis was questioned about McCain’s statement he said they do not have a relationship. “I cannot stop one human being, even a presidential candidate, from admiring the courage and sacrifice of peaceful protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge or making comments about it.” But, he added, “Sen. McCain and I are colleagues in the US Congress, not confidantes. He does not consult me. And I do not consult him.” This just makes one wonder why would he have picked Lewis’ name out of a hat when there are so many people that he truly consults with on issues. One that comes to mind is former Sen. Phil Gramm, but that choice might not have seemed noble, but it at least would have been true.
