Kanye West apologizes for calling former President Bush a racist after Hurricane Katrina

[News_Editor]

Kanye West apologizes for calling former President Bush a racist after Hurricane Katrina

2010-11-11 05:02:12 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- Hip Hop singer Kanye West on Wednesday said on NBC's 'Today Show' that he regrets calling former President George W. Bush a racist in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

'Today' host Matt Lauer informed Bush about West's apology during a live interview with the former president. West said that "George Bush doesn't care about black people," a comment which Bush cited during his recent book tour as the low point of his presidency.

"I would tell George Bush in my moment of frustration, I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist," West told Matt Lauer in a pre-taped segment of his show. "I believe that in a situation of high emotion like that we as human beings don't always choose the right words."

Former President Bush responded by saying that he really appreciated the gesture and added that he used West's remarks as an example of what many people believed back then. Bush remarked that he "absolutely forgave him."

"I'm not a hater. I didn't hate Kanye West. I was talking about an environment in which people were saying things that hurt. Nobody wants to be called racist if in your heart you believe in equality of race," the former U.S. leader said.

On the other hand, West voiced his discomfort after the segment, which was recorded on Tuesday and aired on Wednesday. He alleged that the show's host, Lauer, tried to force his answers and conducted the interview in a "brutal" way.

"I went up there to express how I was empathetic to Bush because I labeled him a racist and years later I got labeled as a racist," the acclaimed singer posted in his Twitter account. "I don’t mess with Matt Lauer or the Today Show. I came there with only positive intent."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-11-11