NAACP Assails Prez on Social Security Reform

As if he's not getting enough heat from Democratic opposition on his plan to overhaul the Social Security program, President Bush has now come under fire from leaders of the NAACP, who accuse the nation's chief executive of "playing the race card." Both NAACP chairman Julian Bond and official Dennis Courtland Hayes criticized Bush's rationale for having blacks support Social Security reform due to their shorter life expectancy, claiming that his statements in fact address major issues in health care. "Rather than playing the race card to set Americans against Americans, we urge the administration to address the long-term problems the system faces now," said Bond. "Recognizing the shorter life expectancy of people of color is commendable, but placing them further at risk is no solution." Bond made the remarks at a news conference, which was a prelude to an effort to defeat Bush's Social Security plan.