White House Criticizes Bennett for Remarks - NYT

[rndmprsn]

what a f#cking piece of slime...

im glad pelosi and reid called this scumbag out on this...along with us, created enough press noise that the white house HAD to repudiate it...bizz as usual would have been that this would have been under the MSM radar screen.

--

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/30/politics/30cnd-bennet.html?hp&ex=1128139200&en=b6b5756e1431a21f&ei=5094&partner=homepage

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 - The White House distanced itself today from the comments of a prominent Republican who said on a recent radio program that the nation's crime rate could potentially be reduced through aborting blacks.

The White House called the comments, made by William J. Bennett, the former Republican secretary of education, off base. The White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, said that President George W. Bush "believes the comments were not appropriate."

Mr. Bennett has said the remarks were taken out of context, noting that he immediately said such abortions would be "reprehensible."

Mr. Bennett, who served as drug czar for the president's father, came under fire from Democratic Congressional leaders on Thursday for the comments, which were made on a his radio show, "Bill Bennett's Morning in America," earlier this week.

"I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down," Mr. Bennettsaid in the broadcast. "That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky."

[9119495]

1. I bet Bennet didn't bet on anyone listening for these comments..

but then again, this "Book of Virtues" guy is a gambling addict so you never know.

[tulsakatz]

2. he tried to defend his comments...........

.........by saying it was a hypothetical argument. I suppose saying that it would be reprehensible is a defense. But the fact that it even occured to him to say such a thing clearly shows a racial bias.
And the fact that he still thinks the comment is ok, is troubling to me.

[Guaranteed]

8. That's not the point, though.

He's using a racist premise that he believes in to make this argument.

His "point" was that we could do a lot of good for the country if abortion stayed legal, or even became more prevalent, but it's still wrong, and he still doesn't support it. That's how strongly he is against abortion.

The argument he made, though, is based on a racist premise that he was putting forward as TRUE, not hypothetical. The argument itself was hypothetical- not the premise that he used.

[indepat]

3. Like anyone can say anything, advocate any action, make any threat, then

say, but that would be reprehensible. Yeah!.

[underpants]

4. RW will let it lie for a month or so and then try to rewrite it

saying that, you know when you look at it Bill Bennett had a point.

Bennett will stay out of the light for a while (he actually has a radio show? why?) and then he will come back and they will treat him like a God.

[cassiepriam]

5. Things are getting so weird, WH apologizing for ugly repug comments..

what next? Actually coming to work and governing?
Free press, free elections?

[BringEmOn]

6. "The comments were off base (but, they speak to my base).....

...not appropriate (for general public, but very common behind closed republican doors). But, my mama won't be outdone by your comments...you jes' wait 'n see."

[bertha katzenengel]

7. Racist acquaintance at work, "Linda," emailed me to ask "who was that

politician who recently said that if we aborted all the afro american babies we would have less crime?"

I told her and she wrote, "no kidding! i would never have guessed him."

"Linda" is the one I wrote of so lovingly here http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4922980&mesg_id=4922980 -- the one who said a single Af.-Am. mother with three children ("I'm sure they have different fathers and she doesn't even know who they are") had no place in a new condo building w/ Section 8 set-asides.)

[Democrat 4 Ever]

9. Have the repugs flip flopped again?

So now they are FOR abortion?:sarcasm:

It is so hard to keep their BS straight.

[tjwash]

10. That response by the white house, pissed me off more...

...than Bennett did. I wrote a pretty angry rant about it here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4936843

[charlie]

11. "Inappropriate" is wearing shorts to a black-tie dinner

If there's a response that's more tepid and noncommital, I don't know what it could be.