Morgan Freeman said he was convinced the opposition to President Obama led by the conservative Tea Party movement had a strong element of racism in it.

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Freeman, one of the most-prominent African-American actors in Hollywood, said on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" Friday the Tea Party's top priority appeared to be doing "whatever we can to get this black man out of here."

Morgan said the fierce opposition to Obama was coming at the expense of effective public policy and was eroding the high point of progress that was marked by Obama's election.

"It just shows the weak dark underside of America," said Freemen. "We're supposed to be better than that."