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White House Criticizes Bennett Remarks
AP via Yahoo!News ^ | September 30, 2005

Posted on 09/30/2005 12:25:04 PM PDT by Kaslin

WASHINGTON - The White House on Friday criticized former Education Secretary William Bennett for remarks linking the crime rate and the abortion of black babies.

"The president believes the comments were not appropriate," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

Bennett, on his radio show, "Morning in America," was answering a caller's question when he took issue with the hypothesis put forth in a recent book that one reason crime is down is that abortion is up.

"But 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," said Bennett, author of "The Book of Virtues."

He went on to call that "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."

Responding later to criticism, Bennett said his comments had been mischaracterized and that his point was that the idea of supporting abortion to reduce crime was "morally reprehensible."

Bennett was education secretary under President Reagan and director of drug control policy when Bush's father was president.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: abortion; roeeffect; williambennett
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I miss Ari *sigh*
1 posted on 09/30/2005 12:25:04 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
TRANSCRIPT of Bennett on Hannity & Colmes: what he really said and why

I miss Ari as well.

2 posted on 09/30/2005 12:27:19 PM PDT by cgk (Bennett: If we are surrounded by the trivial & vicious, it is all too easy to make our peace with it)
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To: Kaslin

A pretty dumb thing to say, even if true.


3 posted on 09/30/2005 12:27:25 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Kaslin
To bad we know longer have free and frank exchanges where the president can be called a black ape, and his chief opponent can be called a slave master.

Oh well those where the good old days.

4 posted on 09/30/2005 12:27:35 PM PDT by dts32041 ( Robin Hood, stealing from the government and giving back to tax payer. Where is he today?)
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To: Kaslin

Wolf Blitzer just got smacked down by Bill Bennett's brother for ambushing him with a question about the comments.


5 posted on 09/30/2005 12:28:02 PM PDT by pangaea6
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To: Kaslin
Second term defensive crouch. I'm just fed up with the kowtowing to PC BS.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
6 posted on 09/30/2005 12:28:08 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: Kaslin

Too bad. Bennett said nothing wrong.


7 posted on 09/30/2005 12:30:21 PM PDT by Rodney King (No, we can't all just get along.)
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To: Kaslin
Sad.

I guess the lesson is that you cannot speak certain things regardless of fact. Just because the crime rate among blacks is higher than among other groups does not translate into a statement about race. It's about culture, but the gutless occupants of the WH are too scared to recognize that fact. So once again, the innocent pay for the excesses of the guilty race-baiters.

8 posted on 09/30/2005 12:30:35 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past ("Let the wicked man forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord" Is 55:7)
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To: Kaslin

Dammit, George, will you STOP already pandering to the liberals?


9 posted on 09/30/2005 12:30:39 PM PDT by nina0113
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To: pangaea6
Wolf Blitzer just got smacked down by Bill Bennett's brother for ambushing him with a question about the comments

I saw the tail end of that, please tell me a little more about what happened? I heard Robert Bennett tell Wolf he was "offended"

10 posted on 09/30/2005 12:30:53 PM PDT by msnimje (Hurricane KATRINA - An Example of Nature's Enforcement of Eminent Domain)
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To: Brilliant

Dumb thing to say? Bennett or the WH?


11 posted on 09/30/2005 12:31:07 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past ("Let the wicked man forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord" Is 55:7)
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To: Kaslin

You know, I'm starting to get a little miffed. We complain about how Bush is "too nice" and "won't fight back" against Dem'Rats. So what does Bush do? He fights back and criticizes a conservative. Makes me wonder if Bush even knows what he is talking about, or where is loyalties really are. Grrrrrrr ....


12 posted on 09/30/2005 12:31:10 PM PDT by manwiththehands
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Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

To: Kaslin

"'The president believes the comments were not appropriate,' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said."

In today's heated rhetoric climate, that seems mild, but for W, it is pretty strong.


14 posted on 09/30/2005 12:33:10 PM PDT by GretchenM (Hooked on porn and hating it? Visit http://www.theophostic.com .)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past
The irony being that those comments were anti-eugenics. When you have 43% of abortions being African American, I dont understand why there is not more outrage among the appropriate parties.
15 posted on 09/30/2005 12:33:19 PM PDT by fooman (Get real with Kim Jung Mentally Ill about proliferation)
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To: manwiththehands

Yep - sends out his wimpy lapdog McLellan, who is by far the most ineffective WH spokesperson in modern American history, to criticize a loyal Republican. Meanwhile, him and his family kiss Clinton's lying ass. I'm sick of it.


16 posted on 09/30/2005 12:33:58 PM PDT by over3Owithabrain
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past

The white house.


17 posted on 09/30/2005 12:34:52 PM PDT by dts32041 ( Robin Hood, stealing from the government and giving back to tax payer. Where is he today?)
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To: nina0113
Dammit, George, will you STOP already pandering to the liberals?

i concur, we run and hide when we should stand up and declare that THEY apologize.

18 posted on 09/30/2005 12:34:54 PM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: Kaslin

I remember how groups and various studies indicated that more blacks were behind bar than whites and the racial profiling issue. Now given that, "an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down" would make Bennett's statement true.


19 posted on 09/30/2005 12:35:04 PM PDT by lilylangtree
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To: Kaslin

I'm not going to read the article, but, it was McClellan wasn't it ?
If only he could stand up to the media and refuse to get dragged into their stuck on stupid questions.
I am mystified that the WH refuses to accept that McClellan's dismal performance as press sec, just feeds into the media's disinformation campaign.


20 posted on 09/30/2005 12:36:05 PM PDT by Wild Irish Rogue
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