Washington, Jul 20 - Today Congressman David Scott (GA-13) issued the following statement regarding President Bush’s first appearance as President at the annual convention of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization:

“I was pleased to hear firsthand from the President today during his appearance at the annual NAACP Convention here in Washington, which I also attended.   The President’s absence at the convention since 2000 has struck a very negative cord across the nation with African-Americans and other minorities.   The botched federal response to Hurricane Katrina last year and recent delay by some Republicans in Congress to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act also fueled further discontent amongst minorities with this President and his Administration.   While President Bush touted the accomplishments of the NAACP in fighting discrimination and pledged to work with the organization to address disparities facing minorities, these are good first steps but it remains to be seen whether he will go beyond just talking about these issues and provide clear and decisive leadership to create real solutions for them.”