JC Watts discusses his life and career in his biography

<br>TULSA, Okla. (AP)_ In his recent biography, U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts discusses his opinions on political parties, race and his past in Oklahoma. <br><br>Watts, the only black Republican member of Congress,

Sunday, October 20th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP)_ In his recent biography, U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts discusses his opinions on political parties, race and his past in Oklahoma.

Watts, the only black Republican member of Congress, will begin promoting the book, ``What Color is a Conservative?'' this week.

Watts' surprise retirement announcement this summer fueled speculation that he would use the book to be openly critical of Republicans and their lack of sensitivity to race issues.

While he doesn't give his party a pass, he does criticize the GOP on certain issues.

But only about half the roughly 300-page book is about Watts' political career.

Written with Chriss Winston, the first woman to serve as top White House speechwriter, the book also covers the congressman's early years growing up poor in segregated Eufaula, his football career at the University of Oklahoma and his mostly unhappy stint in the Canadian Football League.

The book also briefly discusses the two daughters Watts fathered with two different women while a senior in high school.

Watts also uses the book to point out deficiencies among government and political parties in the United States.

He criticizes the political left, saying the group sees itself as a morally superior protector of the common people.

Democrats and others on the left really want nothing more than to protect outdated, failed government programs and embrace the ``increasingly valueless culture'' of Hollywood, Watts said.

``Their philosophy says if it feels good, do it. If you don't want to, don't,'' Watts writes.

``If it's a nuisance, abort it; if you can't handle it, drink it or drug it. If you don't like it, divorce it.''

But, as Watts sees it, that is only half of the problem. In his book he also criticizes members of his own party saying some are so dogmatic that compromise is impossible.

``On the right, many see their mission as divinely inspired and themselves as saviors of American's traditional values from the evil forces of libertinism,'' he writes.

``In their world, all government social programs are bad. Compassion is weakness. Personal responsibility is the panacea for every problem.''

Watts also writes about the idea of ``ideological apartheid'' for blacks.

Blacks who stray too far from what certain black leaders dictate as acceptable may pay a heavy price and even have their ``blackness'' questioned, Watts wrote.

Watts lays out his role is persuading Republican leaders that killing affirmative action without a workable communications strategy would be disaster for the party.

Watts, who concedes that some always viewed him as a token, saw the irony that Republicans who wanted race out of all government equations came to him for his support simply because he was black.