By RUSS RYMER
Op-Ed Contributor

JOHN McCAIN deplored them, Barack Obama distanced himself from them, but the comments that Representative John Lewis of Georgia delivered on Oct. 11 may turn out to be some of the most trenchant - and generous - of the campaign. Mr. Lewis charged Mr. McCain and Sarah Palin with "sowing the seeds of hatred and division" in their fervently red-meat rallies, not unlike "a governor of the State of Alabama named George Wallace" whose race-bating rhetoric, Mr. Lewis noted, contributed to the 1963 bombing of the Birmingham church in which four young girls were killed.

The context of Mr. Lewis's critique is not as has been presented: a saint of the civil rights movement likening a decorated war hero to an infamous racist. Rather, it was a collegial (if rough) caution from one brother to another, about a third, politicians all.

"A careful review of my earlier statement would reveal that I did not compare Sen. John McCain or Gov. Sarah Palin to George Wallace. It was not my intention or desire to do so. My statement was a reminder to all Americans that toxic language can lead to destructive behavior. I am glad that Sen. McCain has taken some steps to correct divisive speech at his rallies. I believe we need to return to civil discourse in this election about the pressing economic issues that are affecting our nation."

"As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign. What I am seeing today reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.

The following is the text of Rep. John Lewis' remarks at the Democratic National Convention on the historic Presidential Nomination of Barack Obama at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado on August, 28, 2008:

On this day 45 years ago a son of America, a citizen of the world, a peaceful warrior, Martin Luther King Jr., stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and said, “I have a dream today, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”

He recalled that “when the architects of our republic, wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence,” they issued a call for justice. And they founded our democracy on a mandate for freedom, equality, and human dignity.

“I am pleased," said Rep. John Lewis, "that Sen. Barack Obama has added my good friend and colleague Sen. Joe Biden to the ticket. Senator Biden is in a class by himself. He is an expert on foreign policy, whose heart and values are firmly rooted with the people he represents. He is a leader who has worked for decades in Washington, but his home has always remained with his constituents in Delaware. He is uniquely suited and well-qualified to serve as Sen. Obama’s partner in the urgent mission to bring the change Americans are seeking, restoring domestic stability and returning this nation to its place as an international leader.”