Bush Still Thinks Kanye West Was Out of Line
by Jamilah King
Wednesday, November 3 2010, 4:33 PM EST
Share In a recent interview on the Today show, former President Georgie H.W. Bush whined about being called a racist. In a sit-down with Matt Lauer, Bush recalled the moment in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, when West infamously told television viewers the then-president “doesn’t care about black people.” The singer was widely criticized for his outburst, and later apologized. But the former president apparently still has feelings. Forget the Iraq War or a nearly unprecedented economic meltdown. He called the comment “disgusting” and an “all-time low” in his presidency:
From Gawker:
MATT LAUER: About a week after the storm hit NBC aired a telethon asking for help for the victims of Katrina. We had celebrities coming in to ask for money. And I remember it vividly because I hosted it. And at one part of the evening I introduced Kanye West. Were you watching?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Nope.
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.
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.
MATT LAUER: I wonder if some people are going to read that, now that you’ve written it, and they might give you some heat for that. And the reason is this-
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Don’t care.
MATT LAUER: Well, here’s the reason. You’re not saying that the worst moment in your Presidency was watching the misery in Louisiana. You’re saying it was when someone insulted you because of that.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: No - that- and I also make it clear that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply as well. There’s a lot of tough moments in the book. And it was a disgusting moment, pure and simple.
Posted By:
Thursday, November 4th 2010 at 7:58AM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
