Now that the United States has rapper-approved President Barack Obama, it's becoming easier to forget George W. Bush. While Bush's worst point as president could be debated for hours, the former president has said the lowest moment of his presidency was when Kanye West said he "doesn't care about black people" during a Hurricane Katrina relief telecast in 2005.
Speaking with NBC's Matt Lauer [via AllHipHop] in a live interview, Bush revealed that the moment still troubles him to this day.
"He called me a racist, and I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now," Bush said. "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."
In his upcoming book, Decision Points, Bush also touches upon the event, saying, "Five years later, I can barely write those words without feeling disgust. 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."
Sadly, Bush had nothing to say about Kanye's dick pic or the infamous Taylor Swift incident. Regardless, his interview with Lauer will air on November 8, while Kanye's classic Bush rant can be streamed below, complete with incredibly awkward Mike Myers reaction shots.
UPDATE: Kanye has responded to Bush's interview on Houston radio station 97.9 the Box [via EW]. Here's what Ye had to say:
"I definitely can understand the way he feels, to be accused of being a racist in any way, because the same thing happened to me [after the Taylor Swift incident], where I got accused of being a racist. For both situations, it was basically a lack of compassion that America felt in that situation. With him, it was a lack of compassion of him not rushing, him not taking the time to rush down to New Orleans. For me, it was a lack of compassion of cutting someone off in their moment. But nonetheless, I think we're all quick to pull a race card in America. And now I'm more open, and the poetic justice that I feel, to have went through the same thing that he went [through] -- and now I really more connect with him on just a humanitarian level."
Speaking with NBC's Matt Lauer [via AllHipHop] in a live interview, Bush revealed that the moment still troubles him to this day.
"He called me a racist, and I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now," Bush said. "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."
In his upcoming book, Decision Points, Bush also touches upon the event, saying, "Five years later, I can barely write those words without feeling disgust. 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."
Sadly, Bush had nothing to say about Kanye's dick pic or the infamous Taylor Swift incident. Regardless, his interview with Lauer will air on November 8, while Kanye's classic Bush rant can be streamed below, complete with incredibly awkward Mike Myers reaction shots.
UPDATE: Kanye has responded to Bush's interview on Houston radio station 97.9 the Box [via EW]. Here's what Ye had to say:
"I definitely can understand the way he feels, to be accused of being a racist in any way, because the same thing happened to me [after the Taylor Swift incident], where I got accused of being a racist. For both situations, it was basically a lack of compassion that America felt in that situation. With him, it was a lack of compassion of him not rushing, him not taking the time to rush down to New Orleans. For me, it was a lack of compassion of cutting someone off in their moment. But nonetheless, I think we're all quick to pull a race card in America. And now I'm more open, and the poetic justice that I feel, to have went through the same thing that he went [through] -- and now I really more connect with him on just a humanitarian level."
