Bush moves to 'heal old wounds'

WASHINGTON -- Seeking to end a bitter five-year quarrel with the NAACP, President Bush struck an unusually conciliatory tone in his first presidential appearance before the civil rights group, calling on Republicans and black voters to help the nation ``rise above political differences to heal old wounds" and pledging to renew the Voting Rights Act.

Coming in the midst of a concerted Republican Party effort to attract African-American support, Bush touted the billions in federal relief funds allocated to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast, an issue that highlighted tensions between black voters and the White House. He stopped short of acknowledging fault in the government's slow response to the 2005 hurricane.

But the president did accept blame on behalf of the Republican Party for ignoring black voters in the past, a breach that he deemed tragic.

``I consider it a tragedy that the party of Abraham Lincoln let go of its historic ties with the African-American community," Bush said, speaking before the NAACP's annual convention in Washington. ``For too long, my party wrote off the African-American vote, and many African-Americans wrote off the Republican Party."

Bush added: ``I want to change the relationship."

The president's speech received a warm but wary welcome from members of the nation's oldest civil rights group, which has been highly critical of Bush in the past. Bush has described his relationship with the NAACP as ``basically nonexistent," and declined five straight invitations to speak at the group's convention.

In 2004, the NAACP's chairman, Julian Bond, sharply criticized the president after Bush skipped the group's convention during an election year. At that time, Bond -- a former Georgia state senator and a Democrat -- said Republicans ``practice racial division."

Soon after, the Internal Revenue Service launched an investigation into whether Bond's anti-Bush rhetoric violated the NAACP's status as a nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization. The organization refused to turn over tax forms, labeling the investigation a partisan retaliation. The dispute remains unresolved.

Yesterday, the president did not shy from the past political gulf between himself and his audience. ``I understand that many African-Americans distrust my political party," he said, a comment that provoked one of the loudest cheers of the speech.

Bush smiled, then said, ``History has prevented us from working together when we agree on great goals, and it's not good for our country."

Bush's appearance occurred a year after Ken Mehlman , chairman of the Republican National Committee, told the 2005 NAACP convention that Republicans ``were wrong" to ignore black voters and exploit racial tensions.

Mehlman's speech sparked a renewed effort by Republicans to attract African-American support. Since then, Mehlman has attended nearly 50 Republican ``outreach" events with African-American groups, including historically black colleges and the National Urban League, an African-American civil rights group, a spokeswoman said.

But the GOP's efforts were hindered by widespread criticism after the slow federal response to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, many of whom were poor African-Americans.

Bush yesterday moved quickly to address the fallout from Katrina, saying that he and the NAACP president, Bruce Gordon , have worked together on organizing Katrina recovery efforts.

``We've had frank discussions, starting with Katrina," Bush said. ``I don't expect Bruce to become a Republican, and neither do you. But I do want to work with him."

But some delegates felt the administration's efforts in the Gulf Coast have fallen short.

``Hundreds of people down there are still homeless and they're still finding dead bodies," said Charles Brittingham , president of Delaware's state NAACP chapter.

And several conventioneers said Bush should have apologized for the government's inaction.

``I think an apology would have been in order," said Elvin McCorvey of Pensacola, Fla.

The president acknowledged that ``racism still lingers in America," and described African-American slaves as the nation's forgotten founders. He also praised leaders of the civil rights movement.

Bush's speech coincided with the Senate's 98-to-0 vote yesterday to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The president received a standing ovation after vowing to sign the bill into law, distancing himself from some Republican House members who called for amendments to dilute the bill.

In his speech, Bush also touched on policy points that black voters have traditionally opposed. The president received little to no applause while touting his No Child Left Behind education laws and the proposed repeal of the estate tax.

Bush said his friend, Robert Johnson , founder of Black Entertainment Television, said that the tax would keep black families from passing their assets on to their children. The tax currently applies to estates greater than $2 million.

Civil rights leader Benjamin L. Hooks , a former NAACP executive director who attended the convention in a wheelchair, credited Bush for his frankness. ``He admitted that the Republican Party and black folk aren't getting along as they should," said Hooks, 81.

But the Rev. Jesse Jackson said in an interview that while Bush's appearance was ``significant," the speech left many tensions unresolved.

``I sense in the speechwriter a distance from appreciating the nuances of this audience," Jackson said, adding that blacks still disagree with the president on the minimum wage and the war in Iraq, among other issues.