http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/19/politics/bush-freedom-event/index.html

George W. Bush: Bigotry and white supremacy are 'blasphemy' against the American creed

Washington (CNN) Former President George W. Bush condemned bigotry and white supremacy Thursday morning while endorsing policies that run counter to those supported by President Donald Trump.

"Our identity as a nation, unlike other nations, is not determined by geography or ethnicity, by soil or blood. ... This means that people from every race, religion, ethnicity can be full and equally American," he said during remarks at the George W. Bush Institute in New York City. "It means that bigotry and white supremacy, in any form, is blasphemy against the American creed."

He added that "bigotry seems emboldened," though he didn't explain why.

"We've seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty," Bush said, adding, "Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions, forgetting the image of God we should see in each other."

Bush didn't mention Trump during his remarks, but in his recommendations to strengthen American democracy, he said US institutions must "step up" and "we need to recall and recover our own identity."

He brought up growing concerns over misinformation, saying politics seems "more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication."

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