Obama Tells Letterman: I Was Black Before the Election

CBS News: Addressing suggestions that recent criticism of his health care reform efforts has been grounded in racism, President Obama this afternoon quipped, “I think it’s important to realize that I was actually black before the election.”

The comment, which the president made in an afternoon taping of CBS’ “The Late Show,” promoted laughter from the audience and this response from host David Letterman: “How long have you been a black man?”