I wonder if President Bush fancies himself a civil rights pioneer of sorts. After all, he has elevated such persons of color as Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Alberto Gonzales to eminent positions in his cabinet. Last year, he provided the residents of New Orleans, who were predominately African-American, with more running water than they could possibly drink. And, of course, racism is now a thing of the past. (Okay, my sarcasm runneth over.)

Today was the funeral of Coretta Scott King, widow of the one true civil rights pioneer and a force to be reckoned with in her own right. Many came from far and wide to pay homage to this great woman, including President Bush, who said: “I’ve come today to offer the sympathy of our entire nation at the passing of a woman who worked to make our nation whole. Having loved a leader she became a leader. And when she spoke Americans listened closely, because her voice carried the wisdom and goodness of a life well-lived.â€? No doubt his words rang hollow for many in attendance and throughout this divided land. Some who followed Mr. Bush to the podium offered pointed criticism of his administration and its policies. The Reverend Joseph Lowery, former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, gave a playful reading of a poem in eulogy of Mrs. King and made a none-too-veiled reference to the Iraq war launched by Bush. “We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there/But Coretta knew and we knew that there are weapons of misdirection right down here/Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more but no more for the poor.â€? In this morning’s Chicago Sun-Times, Jesse Jackson offered his own criticism (which I have excerpted) in anticipation of the President’s attendance at the funeral:

Bush will pay tribute to Mrs. King, no doubt, but she’d much prefer he pay tribute in his budget than in his words. And for African-Americans, the announcement of his visit might well be greeted with apprehension. Two years ago, the president laid a wreath on Dr. King’s grave, then announced he would ask the Supreme Court to outlaw affirmative action. Then he celebrated Dr. King’s birthday and announced a recess appointment of Judge Charles Pickering — a right-wing judge opposed to equal protection — to the federal bench. This year, the wolf in sheep’s clothing will praise Mrs. King, but his budget eliminates the Office of Minority Health, and he’s leaving tens of thousands of Katrina’s poorest survivors scattered across the country, with no plan to bring them back. His HUD secretary says New Orleans will not regain its population or its black majority….

[U]nder Bush, America is becoming more unequal. Poverty is spreading and growing deeper. Homelessness is up. Hunger is up. Poor workers are up. Bush has not supported an increase in the minimum wage since he’s been in office. His administration has evinced a relentless enmity to workers trying to organize unions. He has walked away from funding his own reforms in education. He has failed to extend health care and adequate nutrition to young children. America suffers the worst infant-mortality rates in the industrial world. A record 2 million people are in jail, with minorities more likely to be stopped, more likely to be searched, more likely to be charged, more likely to receive harsh sentences….

[W]e have so far to go. Like her husband, Mrs. King would decry the terrible human waste and the domestic costs of a $1 trillion war of choice. She would not understand a policy that lavishes tax breaks on the very wealthy while cutting basic supports for the most vulnerable. She would wonder about the moral health of a country that failed to provide health care and nutrition and preschool to every child. As he honors her courage, Bush would do well to learn from her wisdom.