Chris Matthews: 'I Forgot Obama Was Black For An Hour' (VIDEO)

UPDATE: During a subsequent appearance with Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night, Chris Matthews clarified his remark that he "forgot [Obama] was black tonight for an hour."

WATCH:

ORIGINAL POST:

Chris Matthews is definitely going to take some heat for exclaiming that he "forgot [Obama] was black tonight for an hour... I said wait a minute, he's an African American guy in front of a bunch of other white people." Matthews was analyzing President Obama's first State of the Union speech when he made the remark.

As Mediaite points out, Matthews was fortunate that the GOP rebuttal began soon after his comment, preventing any awkward responses.

WATCH: (Transcript below)

I was trying to think about who he was tonight. It's interesting: he is post-racial, by all appearances. I forgot he was black tonight for an hour. You know, he's gone a long way to become a leader of this country, and past so much history, in just a year or two. I mean, it's something we don't even think about. I was watching, I said, wait a minute, he's an African American guy in front of a bunch of other white people. And here he is president of the United States and we've completely forgotten that tonight -- completely forgotten it. I think it was in the scope of his discussion. It was so broad-ranging, so in tune with so many problems, of aspects, and aspects of American life that you don't think in terms of the old tribalism, the old ethnicity. It was astounding in that regard. A very subtle fact. It's so hard to talk about. Maybe I shouldn't talk about it, but I am. I thought it was profound that way.