Ever since Reagan signed MLK Day into law, Martin Luther King has, one suspects, made an annual habit of rolling in his grave, as politicians from both sides of the aisle scramble to repackage the ardent radical as a non-threatening role model who wanted to desegregate water fountains. This year, Bush has apparently made a last minute decision to take a trip to see Dr. King’s grave himself – followed by a $2,000 a plate fundraising dinner. The graveside visit, as the Center for American Progress points out, the graveside visit allows Bush to pass the trip’s costs back to the American people. And there’s more:

Because of all the tight security, access to a historic black church near the memorial site will be limited. The church will be the site of a civil rights symposium, and initially, the Secret Service told organizers they would have to cut it short. But after discussions and threats by black leaders to lock themselves in the church, the Secret Service agreed to keep the church open.

As King Associate Rev. James Orange observed:

I feel disrespected by the administration and the Secret Service. On Dr. King’s birthday last year, his administration initiated plans to gut affirmative action. Here we are a year later, and the same person who tried to turn back the clock on me wants to use Dr. King’s birthday because it’s an election year.