Barack Obama: Jesse Jackson apologizes for comments
The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized for "regretfully crude" comments he made about Barack Obama's speeches in black churches during what he thought was a private conversation.
In a video aired last night on the Fox News program "The O'Reilly Factor," Rev Jackson whispered to a fellow panelist , "See, Barack been talking down to black people on this faith based ... I want cut his nuts off ... Barack ... he's talking down to black people."
"For any harm or hurt that this hot mic private conversation may have caused, I apologize," Mr Jackson said in a written statement. "My support for Senator Obama's campaign is wide, deep and unequivocal."
He added that he had called Obama's campaign to apologize.
"My appeal was for the moral content of his message to not only deal with the personal and moral responsibility of black males, but to deal with the collective moral responsibility of government and the public policy...," Mr Jackson's statement said of his comments.
"That was the context of my private conversation and it does not reflect any disparagement on my part ... or my pride in Senator Barack Obama," he said.
Though Mr Jackson is supporting Mr Obama in his bid to become the first African American president, the two are not close.
Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton noted that the Illinois senator grew up without his father and has spoken and written at length about the issues of parental responsibility and fathers participating in their children's lives.
"He will continue to speak out about our responsibilities to ourselves and each other, and he of course accepts Reverend Jackson's apology," Mr Burton said.
Mr Jackson's comments sparked something of a family feud. His son, Jesse Jackson Jr., a national co-chairman of the Obama campaign, said he was disappointed by his father's "reckless statements."
"His divisive and demeaning comments about the presumptive Democratic nominee — and I believe the next president of the United States — contradict his inspiring and courageous career," the younger Mr Jackson said.
Jesse Jackson/ Al Sharpton -
07-10-2008
:notworthy:
