He singled out NAACP chairman Julian Bond and president Kweisi Mfume for their "hateful and untruthful rhetoric about Republicans and President Bush."

Paige said he was a lifelong member of NAACP but now saw that the group was betraying its history.

"The civil-rights movement has historically been multicultural, and many of its founders, including those who established the NAACP, were in fact white," Paige wrote. "I long for the day when our nation's education policy will not be grist for the partisan mill - when we can work together, black and white, rich and poor, for the sake of our children."

The president has rejected an invitation to speak to the Bush-hating group, which has degenerated into nothing but a tool of John Kerry and other Democrats. As the Associated Press noted today, "The leaders of the NAACP have said they are committed to helping Kerry defeat Bush this year."

Editor's note: