"Were you the only black man in Salt Lake City?" Bush asked.

[kurth]

... With little hope of getting much legislation passed in an election year, Bush plans to stay relevant through an aggressive schedule of fund raising and rally stops for Republican candidates, most of whom are still eager for presidential visits. One Bush adviser sees political promise for the President in a nuclear peril. "Certainly, there's going to be a serious showdown on Iran," he said. "He's very relevant on that, and that may help his numbers a little bit." Through the challenges, the President has kept his human touch.

Touring New Orleans last week, he met a man who had survived for days on canned goods before being evacuated to Utah. "Were you the only black man in Salt Lake City?" Bush asked...

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1172179,00.html

[NMDemDist2]

1. OMFG!

tell me he didn't actually say that

:banghead:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

2. What can be said about a comment that ignorant?

[unblock]

3. "ah, ah, ah rethently found out they have blacks in brazil. he he he!"

:eyes:

[valerief]

4. Now there's a great title for the next anti-* book

The Only Black Man in Salt Lake City

[murielm99]

5. This should be all over the news.

Imagine if Clinton had said it, or Kennedy or Kerry.

Of course, we won't see his insensitivity on front pages everywhere.

[Ishoutandscream2]

6. Oh, man, there he goes again

Is he trying to be funny? Or is he REALLY, REALLY, that stupid?

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

8. He's that stupid....n/t

[adriennui]

9. he is really, really

that stupid...he goes beyond stupid to a place that's subhuman intellectually.

[Hamlette]

15. since he got the higest percentage of votes in Utah

he just assumes there are no blacks here...or thinking people either.

We have a pitiful few number of blacks in Utah. Might have something to do with the fact the Mormon church considered blacks to have the mark of Cain (or some other such crap) and blacks were not allowed to hold the "priesthood" (all mormon boys hold the priesthood starting at age 12). They only changed it when the boy scouts sued over it. (The mormons run most of the boy scout troops here, none of the girl scout troops though. The national boy scouts organization was pissed because blacks couldn't hold any "offices" within the troop because to hold those offices, you had to hold the priesthood and blacks couldn't. After "his" church got sued, God told the heads of the mormon church that it was okay for blacks to hold the priesthood. This was in the 1970's sometime, can't remember the dates for sure.)

[leftyladyfrommo]

19. That was what I was going to say, too.

I lived there from about 1962 to 1970 and there wasn't a very large minority population of any kind. And the church taught that a black skin was the curse of Caine.

I don't know why anyone of any minority would want to live there. I don't know why anyone not Mormon would want to live there.

Except the mountains were pretty and you could also drive out onto the desert in pretty short order.

[Marie26]

20. He's trying to be "sensitive".

It's cringe-worthy.

[standup]

25. Inquiring minds ask "Are you the only president that stupid?"...

[The Gunslinger]

7. from the guy that called Packastanis Arabs.

All people in Asia are not Chineese either chimpy..

[LibDemAlways]

10. How in the hell is it keeping "the human touch"

to ask someone who survived a terrible catastrophe and then became a refugee whether he was "the only black man" in the place he was evacuated to? I hope the man fired back, "Yes, now I know how Condi and Colin feel when they attend a repuke convention."

Just when you think the ass has made his all time stupid, most ignorant remark, he outdoes himself.

[susu369]

11. The tone in this article offends me

(yes, I know, the fact that I loathe bu$h* influences me).

That question was his "human touch" ????? WTF

Bush quickly realized the ports affair was a fiasco. "I know a prairie fire when I see one," the Texas rancher told an aide.

The Texas rancher????? WTF

[wake.up.america]

12. Forced, awkward, stupid.

[NewJeffCT]

13. it's a joke, but it's in bad taste for a president to say it

To be honest, I've heard similar jokes before about Utah. However, for a president to say that, it's reallly in bad taste.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

16. I clicked on the article and there was nothing to suggest it was a joke.nt

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

14. Oh sh*t! When I think he's dumber than a doorknob he comes up and says

something even more stupid. I even clicked on the article to see if anything was said to follow-up with that, like a ( inappropriate) laugh, and nothing...

[SammyWinstonJack]

21. He's just an insensitive prick.

He's not dumb, he's insensitive and really doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself and those can further his wealth and power. It's all about his over-inflated ego and bottom line.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

24. You can be dumb and an insensitive prick at the same time. I believe

he's a sociopath.

[Lisa]

28. alas, he is worse than a doorknob!

Because at least a doorknob (provided it's properly installed) is of some use.

[BringEmOn]

17. Another..smirk..wink... to his base, similar to "I can't wait to hang it"

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020121-1.v.html

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. He knows what he's saying

He does it on purpose. It makes him feel powerful to insult people, especially when he can do it publicly and he knows that the victim won't/can't respond.

[Cleita]

22. Drinkin again, eh?

On edit: I meant Bush not you.

[Lisa]

31. he probably gets quite the childish thrill out of it ...

I would bet that when he was a kid, he derived a great deal of satisfaction from being able to insult his mom's blueblood pals and his dad's business associates, and get away with it. So he honed his "backhand" (so to speak) to a fine art.

And when he got older, instead of giving up such youthful pastimes, he saw this as a way to shore up his self-image and reassure himself of his own cleverness -- because of those negative comparisons to his siblings, and the criticism of people who felt he was too old to be "cute" (and not kind and easygoing enough to be a people-person). He may not have realized (or didn't care) that the main reason his targets didn't smack him down was fear of his ever-more-powerful dad.

It's only gotten worse with his installation as president. Really a bad sign when someone in the ultimate leadership position decides to use it for petty self-gratification. It is one thing to come to an international meeting and use the symbolism of American power to reassure people or confront a bully -- but quite another when you ARE the bully.

[KingFlorez]

23. Dirty little piece of dung

Where in heck does he think he can get away with saying things like this? Of course anyone who insults him is immediately attacked with nasty comments.

[Caretha]

26. Yes, he really is that dumb

Don't believe me. Click on the link below to watch.

http://www.jokaroo.com/funnyvideos/bushs_speech_screw_ups.html">This is how history will judge him

[Radical Activist]

27. "Is Colin Powell the only black man that voted for you?"

Actually, that's not fair. Powell probably had enough sense to vote against Bush in 2004.

[debbierlus]

29. OMG - I thought you were kidding - I went & read it & you weren't

I can't believe that he can still say anything that surprises me, but he still does.

What a complete and total MORON.

[appleannie1]

30. I have a mentally challenged son

that knows better than to ask someone a question like that. His mental age is about 7. What does that tell us about our leader?

[Lisa]

32. that's because your son has "social intelligence"

... and chooses to use it. (I think that's the term that psychologists use, for describing how we know what words/behaviour are appropriate for particular situations, e.g. what to say to make someone feel better, as opposed to making them cry or get angry ...) Part of this is due to your good example as a parent, but some is also innate.

If Bush does have social intelligence, he seems to get a kick out of disregarding it, just for shock value (and as a way to insult people and get away with it).

[Stephanie]

33. Remember when he asked Condi if there were any black people in Brazil?

I hope the guy asked Bush if he's the only ignoramus in the West Wing.