<p>In the fall of 1996, Gov. David Beasley took to the television airwaves to call upon the Legislature to remove the Confederate flag from atop the Statehouse dome and relocate it to a place of honor.</p>
<p>Sen. Glenn McConnell, one of the Legislature's staunchest flag supporters, followed Beasley to give a rebuttal to the governor's speech. McConnell defended the flag's honor. He then compared Beasley's conciliatory tone to that of Neville Chamberlain, the weak-kneed British prime minister who chose to concede to German aggression at the onset of World War II instead of standing up to Adolph Hitler.</p>