It means precisely what it said.

Are you asserting that every single "one of the leaders of the civil rights movement" was Polly Pure, of earnest and unquestionable motives, clear-thinking, balanced, and therefore entitled to a free ride even when they say things that are combative, erroneous, and counter-productive?

You should follow Representative John Robert Lewis a bit more closely, read his speeches, follow his performance on the Hill.

How do you feel about his comments in 2008 comparing John McCain to George Wallace?

Do you think that is the rhetoric that will lead healing?