this is a tough one. do we believe in redemption, do we believe that who we are now, is better than who we were then? are we a collection of pluses and minuses, and some minuses are weighted more heavily? i am conflicted. i agree that his past is completely reprehensible, but at the same time, there are others in the recent past who've had conversions...

tough, tough...

he did some bad. did some good. so do we all.

He was never the Grand Wizard of the KKK, of course. He was a member in his youth, for a brief time.

right, and he also has a 100% voting record by the NAACP. so he was able to learn from his past, unlike, say, gaza.

Rise above it gaza! The guy loved and supported obama and admits his lifetime regret was being affiliated with that hate group.

man you fogive him and then bush and then who?
maybe forgive but never forget.

Right, but I dont think people have. Most of the headline obits Ive seen have made mention. Ive never believed morality is measured by eternal purity, its about learning from the past, improving oneself, and genuinely making up for past misdeeds. Byrd has been a bit of a fossil for the last decade or so in the senate, but a lot of people would argue hes done a great deal to make up for what he believed as a kid.


Bush has got a long way to go if he wants people to remember him similarly.