Top Democrats Distance Themselves From Carter's Racism Accusations

A number of Democrats made it clear Wednesday that they disagreed with former President Jimmy Carter's assessment of Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst as an expression of racism. As the comments dominated headlines throughout the day, leading senators distanced themselves from Carter, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs hinted that President Obama also disagreed.


"Listen, he's the former president, and he's entitled to his point of view," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Politico. "I personally believe President Obama and his administration are focused on the issues, and I agree with that." Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) acknowledged that many people are angry at his party's handling of health care, and that he didn't see Wilson's expression of their frustration "as a racial issue."

The White House is especially uninterested in bringing Obama's race into the discussion of health care. "The president does not believe that criticism comes based on the color of his skin," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday, not naming Carter but clearly responding to the former president's comments.

The Race From Race: Dems Rebut Carter [Politico]