Ted Nugent apologizes to President Obama. Sincere?
Ted Nugent has apologized for calling President Obama a 鈥渟ubhuman mongrel.鈥� The shock rocker/political provocateur on Friday told conservative radio host and CNN commentator Ben Ferguson that he 鈥渄id cross the line鈥� with those words, uttered in an interview with Guns.com in January.
At first Nugent did not apologize directly to Mr. Obama himself. Instead, his main regret seemed to be that the controversy over his unrestrained rhetoric was affecting the man he campaigned with in Texas this week, state Attorney General and presumptive GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott, as well as other top GOP figures such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
鈥淚 apologize for using the term. I will try to elevate my vernacular to the level of those great men that I鈥檓 learning from in the world of politics,鈥澛�.
Pressed further, Nugent answered 鈥測es鈥� to the question about whether he was actually saying he was sorry to the president.
That doesn鈥檛 mean he鈥檚 changed his political views, though. He added that instead of 鈥渢he street fighter terminology of 鈥榮ubhuman mongrel,鈥� 鈥� he should have used more understandable words, such as 鈥渧iolator of his oath to the Constitution.鈥�
The apology was also tempered somewhat by the fact that it followed an epic Twitter rant in which Nugent listed in great detail the many, many aspects of the Obama administration that he says he finds offensive.
鈥淎re words really more offensive than 5 dead Americans on Obama鈥檚 watch?鈥澛犅爀arly Friday morning. He then followed this 鈥淎re words really more offensive than 鈥︹�� pattern for another 40-plus tweets, ending the sentence with 鈥渁 gunrunning attorney general,鈥� 鈥渆ngineered recidivism,鈥� 鈥渢rampling the US constitution,鈥� and 鈥淥bama Mao redistribution,鈥� among other things.
We鈥檇 guess this means he and the president won鈥檛 be meeting over beverages in the White House for a quiet discussion of their respective political philosophies.
Nugent鈥檚 friends and allies in the GOP may have pressed him to take back his words to give Abbott and others a little breathing room. The Texas gubernatorial hopeful has been avoiding reporters鈥� questions about why he appeared with Nugent, and whether he agrees with Nugent鈥檚 sentiments.
Some Republicans have been even more direct 鈥� Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky denounced Nugent鈥檚 racially charged invective as 鈥渙ffensive鈥� and 鈥渉aving no place in politics.鈥� Sitting Texas Gov. Rick Perry told CNN鈥檚 Wolf Blitzer that he does 鈥渉ave a problem鈥� with Nugent鈥檚 strong language.
Abbott is heavily favored to win the GOP Texas gubernatorial primary and a favorite to win the general election. In that context, the Nugent flap was an unwelcome distraction that allowed Democratic contender Wendy Davis an opportunity to change the subject from her own missteps. Press accounts have accused Ms. Davis of making her ascent from childhood poverty sound more difficult and dramatic than it really was.
