Justice Thomas suggests Obama had blessing of 'elites' and 'media' in 2008

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas suggested at a forum last month that President Obama was helped in his historic 2008 bid by getting the approval of the "elites and the media" for saying "the prescribed things."

Thomas made the comments during a CSPAN interview a month ago.

Asked if he thought he'd see a black president in his lifetime, Thomas -- who is black, and a conservative -- said he did.

But he said the first black president would have to meet certain tests.

"The thing that I always knew is that it would have to be a black president who was approved by the elites and the media because anybody they didn't agree with, they would take apart," he said. "And that will happen with virtually -- you pick your person, any black person who says something that is not the prescribed things that they expect from a black person will be picked apart. ...  So, I always assumed it would be somebody the media had to agree with."

Thomas also revealed that he's never had an in-depth conversation with Obama, and has only interacted with him "in passing."