On Tuesday, Hill and Bill mourned the passing of Coretta Scott King, widow of the slain Martin Luther King, Jr. "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Coretta Scott King. She will be remembered for her compassion and philanthropy, but most of all, for her unselfish contributions to both the civil rights movement and our American society."
Of course, one can hardly remember Mrs. King without remembering the Reverend’s reputed womanizing. For example, a recent book about MLK’s legacy, "At Canaan’s Edge," detailed a longstanding affair King allegedly revealed to Coretta the year before his 1968 assassination. And in his 1989 autobiography, one of King’s closest friends, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, acknowledged that the civil rights leader "weakness for women."
In the same way, it is difficult to remember the relationship of the Clintons without Bill’s lecherous ways. Many defenders of then-President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky debacle noted that "great" men like MLK also indulged in extramarital affairs, but their true moral character should be judged by their public deeds. And though both King and Clinton betrayed their wives, neither woman left their marriage; in fact, both women tried to carry on their respective husband’s work after their men left the limelight. Just as Coretta Scott King never surpassed MLK in the nation’s eyes, Hillary will similarly be in Bill’s shadow unless she is able to become president.
