Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 3:58 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
During a news conference on budget reductions today, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) apologized for a hot mic statement he made yesterday, saying Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) is perfect for the position of Homeland Security Secretary, in part, because she "has no family."
"What I meant is that Janet is a person who works 24/7, just like me," Rendell said in an explanation today.
Here is what Rendell said yesterday: "Janet's perfect for that job. Because for that job, you have to have no life. Janet has no family. Perfect. She can devote, literally, 19-20 hours a day to it."
Some critics have called Rendell's comments sexist and pointed to Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge, Napolitano's predecessors, who both have families.
Today, Rendell used Ridge as an example, recalling a story by the former Pennsylvania governor and cabinet member about him having to give up golf, a passion of his. He used this to help illustrate his point that the job is a demanding position -- for a person of either gender.
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