“At the risk of being the odd man out, let me just add some broader context,” Smiley said. “Just days ago, we were celebrating fifty years since the March on Washington. President Obama stood where Dr. King stood fifty years ago, and we honored Martin with our words in Washington. Now here we are days away from dishonoring him with our deeds in Syria.”
Stephanopoulos pressed him on this comparison.
“War, Dr. King would say were he here, is not the answer,” Smiley said. “We cannot worship at the altar of retaliation, Dr. King would say were he here. It’s either non-violent coexistence or violent co-annihilation, Dr. King would say were he here. Just like this is connected to Iraq, it’s connected to all of our history.”
