George Bush at Bob Jones University Jude Wanniski February 14, 2000

Memo To: George W. Bush
From: Jude Wanniski
Re: A Racist University

There, of course, is no doubt in your mind, Governor, that Bob Jones University in South Carolina is founded on racist ideas. It is a "high-minded" racism, I understand, but the school does rest on the notion that God created white people, black people, and yellow people, and that they should not mix and mingle sexually. It is all right for them to attend classes together, although that was not true not long ago, when only God's white creations could get past the entrance office. But they cannot date. That is an up-front rule at Bob Jones, and I respect it, just as I respect the rules of those Jewish institutions of higher learning that object to sexual mixing and mingling of Jews with non-Jews. Hey, live and let live. Diversity is to be welcomed. If a group of peace-loving people in our society wish to have their children go to a college that tells them up front that interracial dating is a no-no, I will buy that. Of course, I would never send my children to such a school, as I have almost encouraged Matthew, Jennifer, and Andrew to date boys and girls of other races and religions. It would not bother me in the slightest if they converted to Islam or Judaism if one thing led to another.

This is why I was impressed with your defense yesterday on Meet the Press. Tim Russert threw Bob Jones U. at you and everything but the kitchen sink. How could you sit on the same platform with a fellow who described your dad as a "Satan?" How could you be comfortable with a place associated with anti-Catholic teachings? Where the Pope was called the anti-Christ? I mean, Tim Russert had collected a bunch of quotes which he displayed on the NBC screen, and one after the other, you stood your ground!!! You meet with people who you disagree with all the time, you said. You are a unifier!! Russert, a Catholic as am I, became increasingly agitated, but I was impressed with the way you handled yourself, refusing to say your visit to Bob Jones U. in any way gave their philosophical views an affirmation.

Trouble is, George, when you were asked a few months back if you would meet with the Log Cabin Republicans, who are openly homosexual and lesbian, you said you would NOT!!! I am a bit confused, as I believe most people are, in trying to divine your philosophical bent. You WILL MEET with people who have denounced your father and continue to espouse RACISM, as benign as that form of racism might be. But you will NOT MEET with people who have said nice things about your father and who explicitly REJECT RACISM. You do so on the grounds that they have a different sexual orientation than you do and having their support would cause you difficulties. If you are elected President, who is going to represent the Log Cabin Republicans? You keep saying you do not want to leave anyone behind. We know you don't want to leave the folks at Bob Jones U. behind, and I find that admirable, but what about the Log Cabin Republicans? Will you leave them behind?