This is what I don't get about Bennett...

[Fenris]

He makes a point of saying, after he posits his theory about the positive effect aborting all black babies would have on the American crime rate, that what he is suggesting is "an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do" but at the same time he reaffirms that, according to his theory, "your crime rate would go down."

Well, yes, it goes without saying that aborting all black babies would be morally reprehensible. But he repeats that the effect of aborting all black babies would have on the crime rate would be overwhelmingly positive.

Freakonomics does make the suggestion that there might be a correlation between the increase in the number of abortions and the decrease in the rate of crime. However, Freakonomics does not mention race as a factor in this theory. So you've got to imagine that somewhere between Bill Bennett reading Freakonomics and suggesting that aborting black babies would reduce crime on air, Bill Bennett came up with a modified theory.

That really is what is truly frightening here: Bill Bennett not only suggested such a disgusting idea on air, but he actually suggested it after a lot of thought. He says that of course it would be a morally reprehensible thing to do. But he still said it! And he meant it too! He says it: "That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down."

What he's essentially saying is that he stands by his theory - aborting black babies would reduce crime - but that it was morally reprehensible and therefore he could never advocate it.

My question is, isn't it just as morally reprehensible to say something like that and mean it?