But Shear went on to describe the long-time Democratic political partisan [2], former AFL-CIO union boss John Sweeney, in very glowing terms as one of those "who have worked on behalf of equality for the poor and struggling." From the online version:
Among those to receive the award Tuesday from Mr. Obama was one of the world's richest men, Warren E. Buffett. But the president also lauded those who have worked on behalf of equality for the poor and struggling, including John J. Sweeney, who for more than a decade led the A.F.L-C.I.O., and Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, who helped lead the civil rights movement in America.
(Note: Perhaps sensing a union boss is not everyone's idea of a secular saint, the Times in the print version listed Lewis first, followed by Sweeney.)