Civil rights icon says McCain and Palin 'playing with fire'

Georgia congressman and hero of Selma, John Lewis, said today:

“As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all.

They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy.”

In the past, McCain has praised Lewis, including naming him as one of "three wise men" he would consult as president.

Now Lewis was invoking George Wallace in reference to John McCain:

"George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks...

What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse."

Lewis closed with: "We can do better. The American people deserve better."

Amen.