Tennent later stated, “He did endorse another black candidate once, Colin Powell -- a Democrat -- I'm going to have to look it up to see who it was, but he did do that before. So, you know, when we talk about racism and racists, I think that this is racism.”
TENNENT: I think -- when you told me this yesterday, I said to you, “Jim, he doesn't want to be known as an Uncle Tom anymore. He wants to be black again.”
QUINN: And I said --
TENNENT: And that is it.
QUINN: -- and I said, “Brilliant observation,” because, I mean, remember, when he was in the Bush administration, he was a white guy.
TENNENT: Yup.
QUINN: He was a white guy.
TENNENT: Blacks hated him. They -- “Oh, he doesn't count. It doesn't count that you have someone black in the administration. He's not really black, he's an Uncle Tom.”
QUINN: He's black by popular demand.
TENNENT: Yay!
QUINN: He's back and he's black. He's got his creds back. Is that -- I mean, maybe he's -- look, you could be very right here. He's tired of being called an Oreo. He was nothing but vilified by -- you know, whenever those of us on the right would say, “Well, you know, Bush has got a black secretary of state,” they'd say, “Oh, yeah, right -- Colin Powell. Yeah, sure.”
TENNENT: That doesn't count.
QUINN: And now the shoe is on the other foot.
TENNENT: Well, you know, and I -- oh, I can't remember, it just hit me right now. He did endorse another black candidate once, Colin Powell -- a Democrat -- I'm going to have to look it up to see who it was, but he did do that before. So, you know, when we talk about racism and racists, I think that this is racism.
QUINN: Well, and you know, something else he said, he said he couldn't bear to see Republicans or Bush or whoever -- I forget exactly what the phrasing was -- appoint any more Supreme Court justices. So I guess he's got a problem with Clarence Thomas --
TENNENT: Wow. Wow.
QUINN: -- and Sam Alito.