MLK's dream not yet redeemed, but its down payment is made

Beaumont Enterprise - Beaumont,tx,USA - Tavis Smiley admonished people for comparing Barack Obama with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the annual Port Arthur brunch held in memory of the slain civil rights leader.

"I want to respectfully pick that thing apart," Smiley said. "Barack Obama is a politician. He's a masterful politician. We celebrate his masterfulness to gain the highest political office in the land.

"Martin Luther King was not a politician. He was a prophet and don't you ever get it twisted."

Smiley was the keynote speaker at the 23rd annual Martin Luther King Support Group of Southeast Texas brunch held in Port Arthur.

He went on to say that Obama is not the fulfillment of King's dream but a "down payment" on King's dream.