The lowest moment of W's presidency

Evidently W was deeply troubled by Kanye West saying he doesn't care about black people. He insists this means he is racist.

MATT LAUER: You remember what he said?

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yes, I do. He called me a racist.

MATT LAUER: Well, what he said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: That's -- "he's a racist." And I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now. It's one thing to say, "I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business." It's another thing to say, "This man's a racist." I resent it, it's not true, and it was one of the most disgusting moments in my Presidency.
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MATT LAUER: This from the book. "Five years later I can barely write those words without feeling disgust." You go on. "I faced a lot of criticism as President. I didn't like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all time low."

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yeah. I still feel that way as you read those words. I felt 'em when I heard 'em, felt 'em when I wrote 'em and I felt 'em when I'm listening to 'em.

MATT LAUER: You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your Presidency?

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yes. My record was strong I felt when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And-- it was a disgusting moment.

Three points:
1) Is it really okay to be that upset about having been called a racist if you believe that being non-racist is essentially a matter of giving black people a chance? "Try us: you'll like us!" How generous of him.

2) This is the cost of the social phobia about racism. It's plain as day that only a monster would be a racist. From this principle, each of us can easily deduce that we must not be racists. I don't think stigmas like this are the best way to solve these sorts of problems. It's not clear to me whether the stigma against being a racist even has an overall positive effect.

3) Of course, a real leader wouldn't allow himself to fall into feeling guilty in the way W evidently did as a replacement for re-doubling his efforts and so on. To think as W evidently does (and is willing to go around admitting) that what matters most in a situation like Katrina is how a private citizen's remarks might make the president feel is just so childish. "Godfather, godfather, what can I do? -- You can act like a man!" His idea is he wants to go around crying about how somebody called him a name 5 years ago? Maybe it does hurt. Maybe it hurts for a reason. Tell someone who cares (or whose job it is to pretend).


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/02/george-bush-kanye-racist_n_777967.html