Chris Matthews: 'I Forgot Obama Was Black' (Video)

Chris Matthews photo courtesy Flickr user Afagen.

State of the Union address draws racist comment from Chris Matthews.

Chris Matthews is one of the most controversial news commentators of our time. The MSNBC host is known for his liberal stances...but also for his liberal tongue. After Wednesday night's State of the Union address (in which President Obama promised economics policies that critics are calling "aspirational"), Chris Matthews said, "I forgot he was black for an hour." The public is reeling.

Here's how the banter played out, as Matthews said at various points during his post-State of the Union commentary:"I was trying to think about who he was tonight, and it's interesting, he is post-racial by all appearances. You know, I forgot he was black tonight for an hour."

Matthews applauded Obama, saying the Presient has "gone a long way to become a leader of this country and past so much history in just a year or two. I mean it's something we don't even think about."

And Chris Matthews continued: "I was watching and I said: 'Wait a minute, he's an African American guy in front of a bunch of other white people and there he is President of the United States and we've completely forgotten that tonight. Completely forgotten it.'"

It's 2010, Chris Matthews. We haven't forgotten that Obama is black; we've just decided...it doesn't matter.

Catch video of the flub here.