The Memphis motel where King was shot was turned into something of a shrine on Friday, as Americans throughout the day came to remember what occurred there 40 years ago and to ponder the meaning of King’s life.

Much is discussed in 2008 what King — had he lived — would have thought about the Iraq War, about the present state of race relations, about how far we have come. Well, we have indeed come far. But there remains many dreamers, like King, who believe we still have far to go. The events of Friday remind us that no one quite like Martin Luther King has been able to step in and fill the leadership vacuum.