Peter,

>May it be the case that we are here confronted with an example of 'politically incorrect' language? Which is not necessarilly the same as 'politically insane'.

Could be, but I've heard no one say he was "politically insane." Just guilty of extremely poor word choice.

>Are words as he used only permitted by scientists, esp. philosophers? Who, afterall, need to postulate such hypotheses, in order to discuss them with colleagues.

Who has ever said that these words should only be used by philosophers??? You're missing the point, Peter... Mr. Bennett wasn't discussing these ideas with colleagues... it was on the public airwaves for all to hear. Like it or not, accept it or not, believe it or not, this does make a significant difference as to how the words will be received. I may be overreaching here, but I think that's probably true in most, if not all, cultures?

>May it be the case that things 'sounded' as if, because you are prejudiced and oversensitive?

No, not at all... in fact I detest the entire concept of PC-speak. Noticing how he phrased his dialogue is something that most native English speakers would probably pick up on. It smacked very much of someone telling a blatantly racist joke, then realizing no one's laughing and trying to backpedal by saying something like, "but I'm not a racist" or "I've got friends who are Jewish/black/etc."

Making a repugnant statement, then backing away from it a few sentences later doesn't erase the original shock or ease the minds of those of us who may find ourselves wondering if maybe it's a symptom of deeper issues.

Personally, considering how influential the man was in our government, I'm hoping it was just "foot in mouth disease."

>And were you, or weren't you aware of the existence of the issue as explained in Freakonomics?

Existence of the issue as described in the transcript, yes... similar theories have been advanced many times in the past. Specifically how it was explained in Freakonomics, no. But then again, I'm not following the relevance of your question. I certainly don't believe I have to read the book to understand that the wording of his statement about aborting black babies -- even with his subsequent disclaimer -- was not a wise one.