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A slip - and an apology

Rev. Jesse Jackson says he's sorry for crude remark about Obama that was caught on open mic

BY CRAIG GORDON | craig.gordon@newsday.com

July 10, 2008

WASHINGTON - The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized yesterday to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama for saying he is "talking down to black people" - and for adding a "regretfully crude" remark about Obama's anatomy.

Jackson was picked up by an open microphone before an appearance on Fox News on Sunday, telling another guest he felt Obama's speeches about parental responsibility were condescending toward his African-American audiences.

Speaking of Obama, Jackson said he'd like to "cut his nuts out," according to a transcript provided by Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor," which aired a videotape of the exchange last night.

"For any harm or hurt that this hot-mic private conversation may have caused, I apologize," said Jackson, who said he didn't know his comments were being recorded. "My support for Senator Obama's campaign is wide, deep and unequivocal."

Obama's campaign quickly released a statement saying Obama stood by his remarks. "He will continue to speak out about our responsibilities to ourselves and each other, and he of course accepts Reverend Jackson's apology," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

Jackson's comments signaled an awkward distance between the two Chicago-based icons of black politics - one past, one present. But they could have an unintended benefit for Obama in distancing him from Jackson, a figure respected by black voters but whose past controversial comments make some white voters uneasy.

During his own presidential campaign in 1984, Jackson called New York City "Hymietown," a reference to the city's large Jewish population. He later said it was wrong to use the term - again in what he thought was a private conversation, with a reporter.

Obama also has tried to distance himself from Jackson's more overt race-based appeal on the stump. In fact, Obama's campaign made sure to include the very comments Jackson was criticizing in its response. "As someone who grew up without a father in the home, Senator Obama has spoken and written for many years about the issue of parental responsibility, including the importance of fathers participating in their children's lives," Burton said.

Jackson's son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., seemed less forgiving than Obama, saying he would "thoroughly reject and repudiate his [father's] ugly rhetoric."

An apology accepted

"For any harm or hurt that this hot-mic private conversation may have caused, I apologize. My support for Senator Obama's campaign is wide, deep and unequivocal."

- Jesse Jackson's apology

Obama "will continue to speak out about our responsibilities to ourselves and each other, and he of course accepts Reverend Jackson's apology."

- Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton