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White House criticizes Bennett remarks on blacks

Posted on: Friday, 30 September 2005, 17:32 CDT

By Caren Bohan

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 U.S. 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."

Asked for President George W. Bush's reaction to the remarks, spokesman Scott McClellan said: "The president believes the comments were not appropriate."

Bennett has not served in Bush's Cabinet, but has held various senior roles in the administrations of Bush's father and President Ronald Reagan. He is a former education secretary and head of U.S. drug policy.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat of New Jersey, said Bush's response was not forceful enough.

"Not appropriate is wearing white shoes after Labor Day (the last U.S. summer holiday). These comments were reprehensible and racist," Lautenberg said.

Lautenberg said he would be introducing a resolution in the Senate condemning Bennett's comments.

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.

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Bennett's 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.

The widely criticized federal response to Hurricane Katrina dealt a setback to that effort. Many poor, black residents appeared to bear the brunt of the suffering in flooded New Orleans because they did not have the means to evacuate.

Mehlman said Bennett's comments were "regrettable and inappropriate." But he also accused Democrats of "hypocrisy" and race-baiting for suggesting that insensitivity to African Americans played a role in the slow federal response.

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.

Attorney Robert Bennett, came to his brother's defense, saying on CNN: "What I would emphasize is Bill's comment that such a position would be morally reprehensible. I think it is largely making a mountain out of a molehill."

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.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro)

Source: REUTERS

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