I was home for lunch lone enough to see the comments by former presidents Bush and Clinton. They were eloquent and I was especially touched by the way Clinton reminded us that Coretta was more than a symbol, she was a flesh and blood woman.

I'm sorry I missed Jimmy Carter. When he was president and I was in college I let myself become cynical about him. In the many years since I've come to admire him greatly as a man of compassion, and an unwavering committment to justice born out of a deep faith. It sounds as if he said some provocative things. I'll have to catch that on the news this evening for the specifics.

I did like what one of the commentators said about the comments. They were not at all out of place because that was what the Kings were always about, "Speaking the Truth to Power."

If there are five words that can capture the best role of my faith in American life, those are the ones.