West: 'Now I Know How Bush Felt After I Accused Him Of Racism'

In a TV interview to be broadcast in America next week (08Nov10), Bush reveals that West's declaration the then-President did not care "about black people" in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was one of the toughest parts of his tenure as U.S. leader.

And in a radio chat on Wednesday (03Nov10), the Stronger hitmaker admitted he can now understand how Bush would have felt following the slur - because he was also accused of racism when his stage protest ruined Taylor Swift's winning moment last year (09).

He tells 97.9 The Box, "I definitely can understand the way he feels to be accused of being a racist in any way, because... the same thing happened to me. I got accused of being a racist, and... with both situations, it was a lack of... compassion that America saw in that situation.

"You know with him (Bush), it was a lack of compassion with him not... taking the time to rush down to New Orleans. With me, it was a lack of compassion of cutting someone off in their moment. But nonetheless, you know I think we're all quick to pull, like a race card, in America.

"Now I'm more open and the poetic justice that I feel to have went through the same thing that he went through, and I really more connect with him on just a humanitarian level because that next morning, the next morning when he felt that, I felt that same thing too (sic)."