The Source is wondering why Claire McCaskill wasn't able to get a Presidential Medal of Freedom for Stan Musial at the All-Star Game.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award a civilian can receive, and is given only to those who have made a meritorious contribution to "world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." Individuals from all walks of life - sports, entertainment, political activists - have received it, not all of them U.S. citizens.
The award was created by Harry Truman in 1945 to honor civilian contributions to the Second World War. It was revived and made considerably more prestigious by John F. Kennedy in 1963 and has been given out ever since.
Obama's first round of picks went to 16 individuals, including Sidney Poitier (film star), Stephen Hawking (physicist), Chita Rivera (entertainer), Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland), Nancy Goodman Brinker (advocate for a cure for breast cancer), Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and Desmond Tutu (anti-apartheid activist).
It's a diverse crowd, and Musial would have fit in well. Why didn't he get one? The All-Star game was the perfect opportunity to make the announcement. If the crowd's reaction to to his all-too-short appearance in the pregame ceremony is any measure, there is no doubt he has made an exceptionally meritorious contribution to baseball and to Missouri.
He deserved to join the ranks of Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Frank Robinson, Buck O'Neil, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams (all of whom have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom). He deserved more than a brief handshake and 'how do you do' from the One. He shouldn’t have been passed over for Billie Jean King.
At a time when he should have been honored, he was slighted. Claire should have put up more of a fight.
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