Don't forget : *.. "do you have blacks too?" to Brazil President

[gohawks]

Stuff you probably did not see in the US media...

'Do You Have Blacks, Too?' - Bush Asks Brazil President - 5/29/2002

It is said, that, before September 11, George W. Bush thought the Taliban were a Bavarian brass band. Now, thanks to his comprehensive knowledge, the most powerful man in the world has gotten into hot water again. This is a translation of the article in 5-19-02 issue of Der Spiegel...

WASHINGTON - It was Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor, who helped her boss out of the embarassing situation. During a conversation between the two presidents, George W. Bush, 55, (USA) and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, 71, (Brazil), Bush bewildered his colleague with the question "Do you have blacks, too?"

Rice, 47, noticing how astonished the Brazilian was, saved the day by telling Bush "Mr. President, Brazil probably has more blacks than the USA. Some say it's the country with the most blacks outside Africa."

Later, Brazilian president Cardoso said, regarding Latin America, Bush was still in his "learning phase."


Original article in Der Spiegel:

http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,196865,00.html

[clonebot]

1. i only have one thing to say

BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHA. how someone could piss away a yale education blows my mind. i believe brazil even continued the practice of slavery for years after the united states outlawed it here.

[MaineDem]

4. "...how someone could piss away a yale education blows my mind"

Maybe it was the blow that caused him to piss away the education.

Just a thought.

But you're right; it does boggle the mind of intelligent people!

[Zynx]

7. Yeah. Brazil had slavery until 1888 or so.

It was one of the last, if not THE last, western country to abolish it.

Brazil is nearly 50% black or mixed ethnicity. The fact that Bush didn't know that is shocking.

It is even more shocking that he would ask that question in the first place, and particularly in that manner.

[Nimrod]

2. I love this story, but...

It's been (mostly) debunked.

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/brazil.htm

:(

[SoCalDemocrat]

3. Hardly

Snopes hardly debunked it.

They only had one source so they decided it was undetermined. Their big contention was that Bush maybe said "Do you have Blacks, also" instead of "Do you have Blacks, too".

That's a pretty earth shattering difference there!

[Nimrod]

6. * gives us

Plenty of ammunition that's verifiable. This is a good story for the campfire, but true or false that's about it. Unfortunately.

[The Zanti Regent]

5. Did he have a lover's quarrel with Condy?

just guessing...