The Presidential Medal of Freedom: Obama vs. Bush

On August 12, President Obama awarded 16 people the Presidential Medal of Honor. The impressive list of recipients included the following:

• Physicist Stephen Hawking (in other words, science is good again);

• Senator Edward Kennedy (in other words, compassion is good again);

• Sidney Poitier (in other words, shining a cinematic light on the absurdity of racism is good again);

• Harvey Milk (in other words, our LGBT brothers and sisters can seek public office, make a positive difference in the world, and be rewarded for it, even if posthumously);

• Mary Robinson (in other words, defending human rights is good again);

• Joe Medicine Crow-High Bird (Native Americans are people too);

• Desmond Tuto (who needs no introduction);

and more.

And, while George W. Bush did award the same medal to some worthy recipients (e.g., Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Carol Burnett, Hank Aaron, and B.B. King), he also bestowed the honor on the likes of former CIA Director George Tenet, former U.S. Army Gen. Tommy Franks and former Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer on Dec. 14, 2004 -- all of whom served as Bush's misguided handmaidens in the illegal attack and occupation of Iraq.

That kind of cheapened the significance of the award.

But at least now Obama is on the road to restoring integrity to this highest U.S. civilian honor.

Congratulations to this year's honorees.