Pic Of The Moment: "The Arc Of The Moral Universe Is Long, But It Bends Towards Justice"

[Jim Lane]

11. I agree. Bush should get credit for that, along with the other Republican attendees.

His presence might even help soften a few Republicans' opposition to civil rights. It's a reminder that the Civil Rights Act was passed by a true bipartisan coalition, with most of the opposition coming from Southern Democrats. Yes, most of those "Dixiecrats" became Republicans -- but their filibuster couldn't have been broken except that Hubert Humphrey, the Majority Whip who was honcho-ing the bill, teamed up with Everett Dirksen, the Minority Leader, who was a strong supporter.

In today's GOP, Dirksen would be a very lonely figure, if he even stayed in the party at all. Nevertheless, some Republicans did attend. Before the march, Politico reported these plans:

Obama and Bush will join a congressional delegation featuring 95 representatives, a local paper reports, including 23 Republicans, a record number for the party.

I don't know if all 23 Republicans actually did attend. I wouldn't fault someone who canceled because his wife fell ill or whatever. Obviously, quite a few did, and that deserves to be noted.