Free Republic

The monument of George Washington was concealed from the crowd during the annual King Day at the Dome rally. The NAACP says no insult to Washington was intended - the three-sided structure that covered the front and sides of the statue was intended to display a rally graphic.

President Bush acknowledged persistent racism in America and lamented the Republican Party's bumpy relations with black voters as he addressed the NAACP's annual convention Thursday for the first time in his presidency. "I understand that racism still lingers in America," Bush told the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "It's a lot easier to change a law than to change a human heart. And I understand that many African-Americans distrust my political party." That line generated boisterous applause and cheers from the thousands in the audience, which generally gave the president a polite, reserved reception. "I consider it...