Do I have real, actual gossip to cover? Sure. Is it difficult to concentrate this morning because I’m still checking on individual congressional races? Sure. But this site is about celebrities, and so I won’t be discussing Rand Paul or Harry Reid or John Boehner. Instead, we’re going to talk about Kanye West. Is it weird and funny that this Kanye West gossip comes from George W. Bush, former two-term Republican president? Yep.

Okay, so… does everyone remember Hurricane Katrina? Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and thousands of Gulf residents were left homeless, and the local, state and federal governments all dropped the ball and failed to properly give basic support to many areas, notably the city of New Orleans? Shortly after Katrina, Hollywood organized a telethon to raise money for charities supporting Gulf residents. At one moment during the telethon, Mike Meyers and Kanye West stood together to offer yet another short speech, likely about some specific Gulf residents who struggled in the storm. Instead of following the script, Kanye went off in an emotional speech and blurted out “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Here’s the video:

F-ck, I forgot how funny the reaction shots were. The look on Mike Meyers’ face is priceless, and the cut to Chris Tucker is GENIUS.

Anyway, George W. Bush has written a memoir, as nearly every former president does. In the book, he describes this moment, this KANYE MOMENT as “one of the most disgusting moments in my Presidency” and “an all time low.” Pres. Bush and Matt Lauer discussed the incident in a new interview, and Gawker has the transcript:

MATT LAUER:
About a week after the storm hit NBC aired a telethon asking for help for the victims of Katrina. We had celebrities coming in to ask for money. And I remember it vividly because I hosted it. And at one part of the evening I introduced Kanye West. Were you watching?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Nope.
MATT LAUER:
You remember what he said?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Yes, I do. He called me a racist.
MATT LAUER:
Well, what he said, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
That’s – “he’s a racist.” And I didn’t appreciate it then. I don’t appreciate it now. It’s one thing to say, “I don’t appreciate the way he’s handled his business.” It’s another thing to say, “This man’s a racist.” I resent it, it’s not true, and it was one of the most disgusting moments in my Presidency.
MATT LAUER:
This from the book. “Five years later I can barely write those words without feeling disgust.” You go on. “I faced a lot of criticism as President. I didn’t like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all time low.”
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Yeah. I still feel that way as you read those words. I felt ‘em when I heard ‘em, felt ‘em when I wrote ‘em and I felt ‘em when I’m listening to ‘em.
MATT LAUER:
You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your Presidency?
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Yes. My record was strong I felt when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And– it was a disgusting moment.
MATT LAUER:
I wonder if some people are going to read that, now that you’ve written it, and they might give you some heat for that. And the reason is this–
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
Don’t care.
MATT LAUER:
Well, here’s the reason. You’re not saying that the worst moment in your Presidency was watching the misery in Louisiana. You’re saying it was when someone insulted you because of that.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:
No – that– and I also make it clear that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply as well. There’s a lot of tough moments in the book. And it was a disgusting moment, pure and simple.

[From Gawker]

OH NOES. KANYE WILL NOT BE HAPPY ABOUT THIS.

But seriously, Mr. President? You’re going to say Kanye was “the worst”? For real?!?