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President Bush to address NAACP at the annual convention of the oldest U.S. civil rights organization for the first time since taking office. White House sees ?moment of opportunity? in first appearance as president

July 18, 2006

WASHINGTON - After rebuffing the NAACP for five years, President Bush will speak at the annual convention of the oldest U.S. civil rights organization for the first time since taking office because he sees "a moment of opportunity," the White House said Tuesday.

Bush was the first sitting president in decades not to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

His decision to appear before the group Thursday comes as the Republican Party tries to court black voters ahead of crucial congressional elections in November.

The Bush administration also was widely criticized last year for a slow response to Hurricane Katrina that some charged was tinged with racism because the storm devastated mainly poor and black communities along the Gulf Coast. Administration officials strongly denied those accusations.

Bush did address the NAACP as a presidential candidate in 2000, but not since being elected to the White House. Relations with the group were strained amid what the White House considered unfair criticism from NAACP leaders.

But ties have warmed with current NAACP President Bruce Gordon. Bush expressed appreciation for Gordon's "strong leadership" during a tribute to civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks in January.

Asked why the change of heart, White House spokesman Tony Snow replied: "He wants to because I think there's a moment of opportunity here. I think the president wants to make the argument that he has had a career that reflects a strong commitment to civil rights."

Republican Party chief Ken Mehlman apologized to the NAACP for some in his party writing off the black vote and using racial polarization to win elections. "I am here as Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong," he said last year as the highest-ranking Republican to address the group.

Snow acknowledged that Bush had "political disagreements" with NAACP members but said the president wanted to "talk about some of the commonalities."

He denied that Bush's appearance was related to Hurricane Katrina.

"We have to find ways to make sure that the road to opportunity is clear for one and all," Snow said. "And I think the president wants to make his voice heard."