Chris Matthews: 'I Forgot Obama Was Black'

MSNBC host slammed for State of the Union gaffe
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 28, 2010 3:15 AM CST
Updated Jan 28, 2010 6:41 AM CST

Chris Matthews is taking heat for a gaffe on live TV after President Obama's State of the Union address last night. The Hardball host told Keith Olbermann that he "forgot the president was black." The remark came while Matthews was discussing race and the presidency, and the line quickly spread on Twitter and the Internet, along with plenty of criticism of the MSNBC host, Politico reports.

"He is post-racial, by all appearances. I forgot he was black tonight for an hour," Matthews said. "I was watching. I said, wait a minute, he's an African-American guy in front of a bunch of other white people. And here he is president of the United States and we've completely forgotten that tonight—completely forgotten it," he told Olbermann. "Maybe I shouldn't talk about it," he added.
(More Chris Matthews stories.)

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