GOP Congressman Apologizes for Calling Obama 'Boy'

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GOP Congressman Apologizes for Calling Obama 'Boy'

April 14, 2008 4:54 PM

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: A Republican House member Monday sent a letter of apology to Sen. Barack Obama, after calling him "boy" and comparing him to a "snake oil salesman" in attacking his national security credentials at a weekend fund-raising dinner in Kentucky.

According to a Lexington Herald-Leader blog item, Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Ky., said Saturday that he had recently participated in a "highly classified, national security simulation" with Obama, and said that exercise showed that Obama can't be trusted to make difficult decisions.

"I'm going to tell you something: That boy's finger does not need to be on the button," Davis said. "He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country."

The Obama campaign slammed the comments.

"It's hard to tell what is more outrageous -- Representative Davis' condescending and personal attack, or his absurd and offensive claim that Barack Obama is not prepared to defend America," said Bill Burton, an Obama campaign spokesman.

Davis and his office did not dispute the accuracy of the quote. In his letter to Obama, Davis, a former Army ranger first elected to Congress in 2004, wrote that he "used a poor choice of words when discussing the national security positions of the Presidential candidates."

"My poor choice of words is regrettable and was in no way meant to impugn you or the your integrity," Davis wrote. "I offer my sincere apology to you and ask for your forgiveness."

According to a Davis spokesman, Davis hand-delivered the letter to Obama's Senate office after returning to Washington on Monday.

April 14, 2008 in Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (522)

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DO NOT QUESTION OBAMA THE GOD. WHATEVER HE SAYS IS TRUE. EVEN IF HE CALLS SMALL-TOWN PEOPLE DUMB!

OBAMA NEVER MAKES MISTAKES ... ONLY PEOPLE WHO INTERPRET THEM.

OBAMA THE GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: DCVoter | Apr 14, 2008 4:56:51 PM

Obama is a joke!!!!

Posted by: dee | Apr 14, 2008 4:57:27 PM

Obama is a boy. Why appologize? He is a divider and a lying B A S T A R D.

He should be ashamed of himself for not denouncing Rev. Wright.

Mmm

Posted by: Jenna | Apr 14, 2008 4:58:12 PM

crazy but not for hillary: Not sure what you are saying?

Posted by: Jenna | Apr 14, 2008 4:59:07 PM

DO NOT QUESTION OBAMA THE GOD. WHATEVER HE SAYS IS TRUE. EVEN IF HE CALLS SMALL-TOWN PEOPLE DUMB!

OBAMA NEVER MAKES MISTAKES ... ONLY PEOPLE WHO INTERPRET THEM.

OBAMA THE GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Jenna | Apr 14, 2008 5:00:07 PM

I guess I am one of the persons he is talking about. Well, OBAMA, you just lost a supporter!

Scanton, PA

Posted by: StanCH | Apr 14, 2008 5:01:29 PM

I guess I am one of the persons he is talking about. Well, OBAMA, you just lost a supporter!

Scanton, PA

Posted by: StanCH | Apr 14, 2008 5:01:36 PM

I like how Obama handled this situation. He gained a supporter in me!

Posted by: R Lennings | Apr 14, 2008 5:07:18 PM

Senator Obama has made hundreds of personnal and condescending attacks on his opponents and thinks that is ok. But when someone makes a like attack on him, watch out, every supporter and paid advisor comes out demanading an apology,

HOW ABSURB. STUPID. CAN THIS MAN BE REAL??????

Posted by: Mary | Apr 14, 2008 5:08:08 PM

Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Ky.,
is a Republican. Since
when do we expect better
from the GOP?

Posted by: Beto | Apr 14, 2008 5:11:39 PM

Sen. Obama's remarks in San Francisco were not condescending. Please listen to the full audio on the huffingtonpost.com (where this "story" was initially reported).

Posted by: H. Aslan Aslani-Far | Apr 14, 2008 5:13:40 PM

Obama's an Elitist? HRC earned $109 million dollars since 2000. The McCains are worth over $100 million dollars as well.
So who really understands what it feels like to be left behind?

The truth is that I AM BITTER AND ANGRY that the Clintons and McCains are doing THAT MUCH better than the rest of the country.

God forbid a politician tells the truth.

Posted by: Gabriel | Apr 14, 2008 5:14:48 PM

Hmmmmmmm -

Off topic but interesting - looks like Senator Obama has a new Rezko problem. Read the AP story today.

Posted by: Kris | Apr 14, 2008 5:15:18 PM

Let's hope voters in Geoff Davis' Kentucky district are so humiliated by their representative speaking in such blatantly racist and vicious terms that they vote him out of office at the earliest opportunity.

Posted by: balthus | Apr 14, 2008 5:16:05 PM

There's a HUGE difference between being condescending and being racially biased. If ya'll don't know the difference, then maybe you'd be better off not voting at all.

Posted by: GrandmaCDA | Apr 14, 2008 5:16:28 PM

It's so sad to read the hate blogs. For those of you sooooooooo turned off by the bitter comments, you weren't going to vote for Obama anyway. I just hope that the narrow-minded bunch of Americans who put Bush back in the White House in 2004 get a clue this election...somehow.

Posted by: inTuned-americans-are-the-minortity | Apr 14, 2008 5:18:23 PM

Jenna,

And Hillary is a lying witch of a
b i t c h so they are even then are they not?

Posted by: Stupidvoters | Apr 14, 2008 5:19:11 PM

p.s. all you Republican trolls, or Clinton fans (the two groups appear to be one and the same) can give up on the Obama "bitter" smear campaign now. Polls are already showing it's having little if any impact on the race, and that PA voters are weary of Clinton harping on statements most recognize as true.

Posted by: balthus | Apr 14, 2008 5:19:14 PM

Racists never change! He said what he thought.

Posted by: Liz | Apr 14, 2008 5:21:22 PM

Obama's an Elitist? HRC earned $109 million dollars since 2000. The McCains are worth over $100 million dollars as well.
Who really understands what it feels like to be left behind?

The truth is that I AM BITTER AND ANGRY that the Clintons and McCains are doing THAT MUCH better than the rest of the country.

God forbid a politician tells the truth.

Posted by: Gabriel | Apr 14, 2008 5:21:47 PM

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