From the State of Exhaustion, But Still Able to Appreciate the Ironies of Bush Honoring a Muslim Anti-War Hero

November 09, 2005

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali dispelled fears of ill health in his first public appearance since June, joking with US President George W. Bush as he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom....

Bush, whose US popularity ranks at an all-time low in part because of the war in Iraq, made no mention of Ali's courageous stance against war....

Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay, stopped Sonny Liston in the seventh round in 1964 to capture the world heavyweight throne and the next day announced he was a Muslim and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.

After being stripped of his title, Ali was unable to fight for 3 1/2 years before making a 1970 comeback. The following year he won a Supreme Court appeal of his draft evasion conviction.

Ali reclaimed the crown in 1974 by knocking out George Foreman in 1974 at Zaire in the epic "Rumble in the Jungle"....

Chris Joo reminded me that Ali is black:

Because Ali is such a deserving person to receive such accolades I'll give Bush the benefit of the doubt and assume this was a geniune gesture and not a publicity stunt to help repair his tarnished image among black voters.

Terry McDermott was not impressed:

This honor is a personal insult to every boy and girl who is serving in the Armed Forces. And it shows that the President has no respect to our soilders in Iraq....

In my opinion Ali is no great American. He is a traitor just like Benedict Arnold. Yet he is given a honor as if he is a patriot like Audie Marphy. If Bush want to honor a celebraty, he could have made a better choice than Ali. For example, Elvis Presley received his draft notice when he was a superstar. Presley did not try to use his money to get out of it. He was proud to serve his contry. In my opinon Elvis Presley deserves more honors than Muhammad Ali....

David Price is puzzled (primarily because he only looks at Ali's boxing accomplishments):

I guess I just don't get it, but shouldn't such an honor go to people who've done greater things than having been paid an unbelievable sum of money to beat the snot out of other people all the while declaring, "I am the greatest"?

If a group of museum curators has their way, the popular view of Ali's life may be different:

The Muhammad Ali Center opens Nov. 21, chronicling the life of “The Greatest” inside and outside the ring, emphasizing his peaceful values and vision of global tolerance, and setting the record straight about that infamous gold medal.

“People will be surprised when they visit the Ali center,” said museum spokeswoman Jeanie Kahnke. “Many people only know of Ali as a boxer and a three-time heavyweight champion of the world. What they may not know about him is how he has been a charitable individual for most of his life. That has only grown since he has retired from the ring.”

Ali, now 63 and battling Parkinson’s Disease, is expected to attend a star-studded opening gala Nov. 19, along with celebrities Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, James Taylor and B.B. King. The event is attracting guests from England, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, Jamaica and Barbados.

Also see the relevant page at African American Involvement in the Vietnam War.