Carter says Republican lawmaker's outburst against Obama was racist in tone

Washington, Sep.16 (ANI): Former US President Jimmy Carter has said Republican representative Joe Wilson's outburst to President Barack Obama during a speech to Congress last week was an act "based on racism" and rooted in fears of a black president.

"I think it's based on racism," the Daily Express quoted Carter, as saying.

"There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president," he added.

"Those kind of things are not just casual outcomes of a sincere debate on whether we should have a national programme on health care. It's deeper than that," Carter said.

Wilson, from South Carolina, was formally rebuked on Tuesday in a House vote for shouting "You lie!" during Obama's speech to Congress last Wednesday.

The shout came after the president commented that illegal aliens would be ineligible for federal subsidies to buy health insurance. Republicans expressed their disbelief with sounds of disapproval, punctuated by Wilson's outburst.

The rebuke was a rare resolution of disapproval pushed through by Democrats who insisted that Wilson had violated basic rules of decorum and civility.

Republicans characterized the measure as a witch-hunt, though Wilson had already apologised to Obama. The GOP is insisting that he owed the House no apology. (ANI)