At a ceremony to honor the opening of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in our nation's capital Friday, the late civil rights leader's daughter Bernice made an historical error that would evoke tremendous ridicule and derision if she were a conservative.
"Lincoln remembered for signing the Declaration of Independence" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
BERNICE KING: But as I close, I close with the recognition that daddy is standing, Lincoln is seated. Lincoln remembered for signing the Declaration of Independence. Daddy being remembered as standing up for truth and standing up for justice and standing up for righteousness and standing up for peace and standing up for freedom. Daddy is now standing on the National Mall in our nation’s capital.
Readers are strongly advised that I mean no disrespect whatsoever to Ms. King or her father. People when speaking in front of the public - especially without teleprompters - make innocent mistakes all the time.
We know Ms. King is fully aware that Lincoln didn't sign the Declaration of Independence. Toward the end of an eight-minute speech to her father's former fraternity Friday, she erred.
People do it all the time.
Likely - and frankly, rightly! - you haven't heard anything about this.
But would that be the case if this was an event for former President Ronald Reagan for example, and his daughter Patti Davis made such a mistake?
Imagine former Alaska governor Sarah Palin or Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann saying such a thing. This would have likely made headlines and been featured on all the nightly news programs.
That's what happened when Bachmann recently mistook the day Elvis Presley died for his birthday. A Google search of "Bachmann Elvis Presley" produced over 7 million results, and that's just a flub concerning a dead rock star.
This is a mistake concerning the Declaration of Independence and one of America's greatest presidents.
Also of note, a video of this speech including the error was posted at YouTube by CNN's Roland Martin. Of course, he made no mention of King's faux pas.
Seems a metaphysical certitude, though, that if this were Palin, Bachmann, or any conservative, Martin would have been ridiculing the speaker with both guns blazing.
But not in this case, for liberals are allowed to make mistakes with total impunity when speaking to the public.
Just ask the current President and Vice President.
