Reading over the President’s remarks at the dedication of the newest addition to Washington’s collection of solemn memorials, I get the distinct impression that while the President is obviously on board with the general idea of honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., (Dr. King “belongs on this Mall,” he said), he doesn’t have much use for the Kim Il Sung-style statue that is the memorial’s centerpiece. He was subtle about it, of course, but I don’t know how else to interpret this line:
Or this one, even more pointed:
Quite. King was a great leader, not a Great Leader.
Photograph: National Park Service.