My colleague, Jay Caruso, hits the nail on the head with his post Yes, John Lewis Is A Civil Rights Icon, But …. In brief, Lewis said Trump was not a legitimate president because, he’s a civil rights icon and whenever the Democrats want to attack a white Republican they bring him out of the cryogenics lab, thaw him out, and tell him to attack. Remember, this is the guy who, in 2008, said John McCain was the same as George Wallace. Pardon my disbelief, but John McCain is just about as far from George Wallace as you’re going to get.

Anyway, John Lewis has long ago whored away any respect he was owed in the service of partisan Democrat politics.

Trump being, well, Trump attacked.

The Democrats are demanding that Trump apologize. For what? Well, if a has-been who has been dining out on what he did 50 years ago insults you, you have to apologize. Not a single one of the people have demanded that Trump apologize for what he said, they are demanding the apology because of who he said it to.

Two senators were asked about the incident on the Sunday shows. In the combined clips you see Joe Manchin and Rand Paul

First up is Joe Manchin on Face the Nation:

“I’ve got the utmost respect for Congressman Lewis, he’s an icon, if you will, and we all have the most respect for him,” Manchin said on CBS’s “Face The Nation.”

“I just think that was uncalled for. I just wish that rhetoric would tone down from both back and forth.”

Manchin said Russian President Vladimir Putin will succeed if he sees “this bickering going on back and forth.”

“That’s what we have to stop,” Manchin said.

“We’re bigger than this, and we’re going to show them we’re not going to change and not going to alter how we work and function as Congress, as a government and the United States of America.”

Rand Paul, on State of the Union, points out the obvious:

“I do appreciate him being a civil rights icon, but I would also say that that doesn’t make us immune from criticism or debate,” Paul said on “CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“So John Lewis isn’t in a position where there can’t be a healthy debate back and forth. Because he’s a civil rights icon shouldn’t make him immune.”

Paul said when discussions involve race, they get “very sensitive.”

“None of us actually want to be considered to be the racially insensitive and so it’s a very, very important subject, but I think we shouldn’t ignore that people are partisan,” Paul said.

“So John Lewis is a partisan. I have a great deal of respect for him, but he’s a partisan and I disagree with him on issues. I should be able to honestly disagree with him and not have it all come back to I have no appreciation for a civil rights icon because of this.”