By Alexandra Petri
Suggested Reading
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.”— Excerpt from George W. Bush’s new memoir, Decision Points
Mr. President, I’m happy for you, and I’ma let you finish, but I think maybe 9/11 — or, heck, even the financial meltdown! — might have been the worst moment of all time in your presidency. Of all time!
The “all-time low” in the George W. Bush presidency was when Kanye West said that “George W. Bush doesn’t care about black people“? Really?
Bush defended the statements during an interview with Matt Lauer, quoted by EW, saying, “He called me 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.”
The interview went on:
Lauer: “You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your presidency?”
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.”
“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.”
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 —”
Bush [interrupting]: “Don’t care.”
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.”
Bush: “No, 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.”
The worst moment? He actually said that this was the worst moment?
Well, maybe he’s right. Sure, 9/11 was pretty bad, but what really gives me nightmares is the idea that somewhere, Kanye West might be angry with me. You never know! Kanye is the ultimate arbiter of things. I read his Twitter feed daily, and as a consequence, I am wiser, better and more credenza-owning than I was before.
Read more of this article at The Washington Post.
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