[Tall_Texan]

No offense. I knew it was mostly misunderstanding.

When Rush had a caller from E. St. Louis yesterday asking why Bush didn't speak to the NAACP Convention, as I listened, I thought about what I would do if I were Bush.

Obviously, staying away would look like he has nothing to say to them. But going there, as Rush believes, also means the potential of being booed and catcalled.

It dawned on me that the right thing to do is to accept the invitation, show up at the convention and tell them why they are wrong instead of trying to kiss their asses.

Of course, they won't want to hear it. They'll act incensed and use the "R" word and exaggerate what Bush says but...let 'em.

Because, in a bizarre sort of way, Bush has little to lose. Bush has a good record on race relations, even better if one overlooks his opposition to the Affirmative Action case at the University of Michigan. He has brought blacks into the inner circle of his administration more than any other president in our history.

And if I were Bush, I'd bring up the James Byrd ad they ran in 2000 and tell them that such attacks are false, hurtful and divisive.

The news media will go crazy. Some blacks will listen and decide Bush has a point. Others will become further polarized but they weren't going to vote for Bush anyway. And some non-blacks are going to admire the fact that he went to their convention and spoke his mind.

It would be a bold statement. It would be the best venue possible to state exactly where you stand on race and politics. And you can let some of the partisan bigots take all the potshots they want but they will have to acknowledge what Bush said and I think that would be an overall plus. It would illustrate the extremism of some of his opponents in contrast to a sensible position held by the president.

Your thoughts?

[rdb3]

It would be a bold statement. It would be the best venue possible to state exactly where you stand on race and politics. And you can let some of the partisan bigots take all the potshots they want but they will have to acknowledge what Bush said and I think that would be an overall plus. It would illustrate the extremism of some of his opponents in contrast to a sensible position held by the president.

Your thoughts?

My thoughts? If it would happen exactly how you describe it, that would be the improvement on sheer perfection!

I was just glad that he didn't accept the offer. I could only imagine what would be the result of your scenario. Here you would have the President of the United States tactfully laying the wood to the NAACP (that's Certain People). Mfume, Jack$on, Bond, $harpton, et al., deserve a good Scroller whipping anyway.

And he'd be more than right with what he would have to say. He'd talk up his administration by demonstrating the stellar accomplishments and qualifications of Rice, Powell, and Paige. How no blacks had ever attained such high levels of responsiblity under any other administration in our history. And they got these positions not just because they are black, but they are more than qualified. He could then segue into vouchers, how his push for tax cuts helped the entire American economy by showing how the number of black investors has increased exponentially and how they've benefitted from these cuts; traditional family values and his belief that marriage is between a man and a woman, how the effort to defeat terrorism protects all Americans by saying that black people died in those planes and in the WTC on 9/11 just like white people did, and on and on.

If he were to do this, the NAACP would lose their minds. But he'd be right. And the things he could say could not be considered pandering. It's just truth telling for what it is.

The cherry on top of this sundae would be that he'd be doing this right in their faces. With a smile, of course.

$710.96... The price of freedom.