Mexico Denies Stamps Are Racist

Black Comic Book Character Resembles Racial Stereotype

(CBS/AP)  Aguilar said the comic book was "not racist. It's exactly the opposite."

"I respect the reverend Jesse Jackson's opinion, but we think that he is uninformed about the historic role of this series in Mexican culture to combat racism and promote family values," he said.

It was the second time in as many months Fox's office has had to answer questions about perceived racial insensitivity. On May 13, the president sparked sharp criticism when he said that Mexican migrants living in the United States were willing to take jobs "that not even blacks want to do."

Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton traveled to Mexico City to meet with Fox and demanded that he apologize for that comment, but the president would not comply.

While calling the stamps an internal issue for Mexico, White House spokesman Scott McClellan was quick to denounce the stamp images, reports CBS News Correspondent Mark Knoller. McClellan said "racial stereotypes are offensive no matter what their origin" and such caricatures have no place in today's world.

Asked about the caricatures on the stamps, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley said, "Our position is that there's no place for this kind of thing. It's wholly inappropriate — and we've made that clear."

Dark-skinned with an over-shaped head and lanky limbs, Memin Pinguin is drawn with thick lips, a round nose and wide-open eyes. His appearance, speech and mannerisms are the subject of kidding by white characters in the comic book.