JIVE NOT JOBS :

Bush's simple brand of politics must embarrass black friends (Clarence Page, July 17, 2002)

Bob Hillman, of the Dallas Morning News, asked Bush about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation's oldest and largest civil rights group, which was holding its annual convention in Houston. There had been some criticism at the NAACP, the reporter noted, that Bush had not attended one of their conventions since the 2000 campaign. Hillman asked for a response to this and “generally to suggestions from some critics that your civil rights record in the administration is not a stellar one.”

Bush looked down, pondered the question for a moment, then said, “Let's see: There I was, sitting around . . . the table with foreign leaders, looking at (Secretary of State) Colin Powell and Condi (National Security Advisor Condoleezza) Rice.”

And . . .? Yes . . .?

No, there was no need to wait for a further response. That was all he said. He cast a glance, a smirk and a shrug and, ka-zoom, called on the next questioner. If you want to know about his civil rights record, in other words, hey, just remember that he listens to two blue-ribbon blacks on his foreign policy team every day.

Or, to put it another way, some of his best friends are nonwhite. What more do you need to know?

Welcome to the age of Bush brevity. Compared to his predecessor, who could muse and rattle off a five- or six-point proposal in response to a question about the weather, “W” is the concise president, just as happy to give a few words as a lot when the questions get into a ticklish area.

If I understand Mr. Page's point here, it is that he would prefer that Mr. Bush go kowtow to the NAACP than that he actually have blacks in vital leadership positions in his government. He seems to think the black community better served by having a Bill Clinton shuck and jive them at a convention than a George W. Bush treat them like equals at the highest levels of government. Maybe I misunderstand the meaning of the word "Advancement"? Posted by Orrin Judd at July 17, 2002 10:32 AM