"I accepted Harry's apology without question. As far as I am concerned, the book is closed."

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Harry Reid apologizes for "light skinned" remark about Obama

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) apologized today for referring to President Barack Obama as "light skinned" and "with no Negro dialect" in private conversations during the 2008 presidential campaign.

"I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words," said Reid in a statement. "I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African Americans for my improper comments."

President Obama said in a statement that he and Reid had spoken about the matter on Saturday afternoon. "I accepted Harry's apology without question because I've known him for years, I've seen the passionate leadership he's shown on issues of social justice and I know what's in his heart," said Obama. "As far as I am concerned, the book is closed."

The Senate Majority Leader was officially neutral in the primary fight between Obama and then Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.). Reid's remarks about Obama were revealed in "Game Change", a book detailing the 2008 race penned by Time's Mark Halperin and New York magazine's John Heilemann.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/harry-reid-apologizes-for-ligh.html

[Kaleva]

1. Obama continues to be a class act.

[cutlassmama]

2. Always and without fail

[proteus_lives]

3. +1

He's acting like a gentleman.

That's not so common in politics anymore.

[marmar]

4. "No Negro Dialect"?

:wtf:


Well Ize Gon' talk different from now on, Massa Reid.

[sandnsea]

7. The whole quote is worse

"unless he wants one" or something along that line. I think he thought he was complimenting Obama, kind of like when Biden said he was "clean". The really sad thing is that we can't talk about the truth, a dark-skinned African American who speaks "Ebonics" would have a hell of a time getting elected to anything in this country. And I don't think a Latino with a Hispanic accent would get elected President either. So while Reid was right in what I think he was trying to say, he sure picked a piss poor way to say it.

[KittyWampus]

9. please provide the whole quote. Because I haven't seen one. All I've seen is two epithets

ripped out of the sentences they were supposedly uttered in and presented with zero context.

[sandnsea]

10. I haven't seen any better

as far as context. But here's the quote I was referring to,

Senate majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada described in private then-Senator Barack Obama as “light skinned’’ and “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.’’ Obama is the nation’s first African-American president.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/01/10/reid_apologizes_for_comments_on_obamas_race/

[REP]

5. I'm just still amazed we have an educated, adult president!

With fine manners, to boot!

[Don Caballero]

6. Shows the world that President Obama is an adult

Pulls the heartstrings of our allies and sinks in the guts of our enemies.

[scheming daemons]

8. C-L-A-S-S

It is why, despite the contant barrages against him by the right and the left, he continues to hover about 50% in approval polls.


Imagine where he would be if it weren't for the new "pessimism party" on the far left.

[mopinko]

11. this book sounds like a

democrat smearing shit bomb.

[ChicagoSuz219]

12. Pres. Obama will forgive anyone...

...as long as they own up to it, apologize & do better next time.

I'm the same way. My daughter never got in trouble for telling the truth about something... even when it was something I didn't want to hear.