In defense of John McCain, the problem with being old is that at some point you’re going to be on the wrong side of history. In 1987, as the senator of a state (Arizona) with a miniscule black population, it’s not hard to imagine why McCain wasn’t as well versed on Dr. King and the Civil Rights movement as he should have been. And to be fair, he was in a Vietnam prison during King’s assassination.

On the other hand, McCain was not in a Vietnam prison for all but the last five months of King’s life. (He wasn’t captured until October 1967.) At the age of 47, when he voted against the MLK holiday, he should have known enough to make the right call, having witnessed the vast majority of King’s accomplishments and having had access to a myriad of books and research. Just like at the age of 66, when he voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, he should have known enough to make the right call, but chose not to read the National Intelligence Estimate.

Also keep in mind that this is the same man who admits to pandering to racists in South Carolina on the confederate flag issue during his 2000 presidential campaign. This is also the same man who– along with Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson– cited “scheduling issues” as the reason for skipping the lone black issues debate of the campaign back in September.

Regardless of the various explanations, apologies, and 11th hour changes of heart, it’s fair to say that McCain has a history of being on the wrong side of issues involving race.