White House criticizes Bennett’s remarks on blacks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Friday criticized
as “not appropriate” a comment from former Education Secretary
William Bennett that aborting black babies would reduce the
crime rate.

Bennett, a conservative radio commentator, stirred outrage
for saying on his talk show on Wednesday: “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.”

“That would be an impossibly ridiculous and morally
reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down,”
he said on his call-in program “Morning in America.”

“The president believes the comments were not appropriate,”
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

Bennett has held various senior roles in administrations of
President Ronald Reagan and Bush’s father, President George
H.W. Bush. He is a former education secretary and head of U.S.
drug policy.

Bennett, author of a book on morality called “The Book of
Virtues,” faced controversy two years ago when it was revealed
that he lost millions because of a gambling habit.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he was
“appalled” by Bennett’s comments and said he hoped Republicans
would condemn him.

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee,
said the comments were “hateful, inflammatory” and asked
whether they represented the values of the Republican party.

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, a
former campaign adviser to Bush, has been trying to reach out
to African Americans, who overwhelmingly vote Democratic.

On his radio program on Friday, Bennett said “I was putting
forward a hypothetical proposition … and then said about it,
it was morally reprehensible to recommend abortion of an entire
group of people.”

“But this is what happens when you argue that the ends can
justify the means.

His remark was in response to a caller who had suggested
that the Social Security system’s finances would be in a much
better position if it were not for the 1973 legalization of
abortion, because there would be more people paying into the
system.

Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton said on CNN that
Bennett’s comments were “blatantly racist.”

“(He) stated as a fact that if you did this it would in
fact lower the crime rate which clearly is him making blacks
and crime synonymous,” Sharpton said.