At first Biden stated to reporters that he thought the Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would understand what he meant:
Taking the remark as a slur against Mr. Obama or other black men who have sought the presidency is taking it "totally out of context," Mr. Biden told reporters after the remark was posted on the Drudge Report, a popular Internet site. He said he called Mr. Obama to explain the context. He issued a formal statement saying he deeply regretted if anyone was offended.But evidently they didn't know what he meant and weren't too thrilled by it:
"He understood exactly what I meant, and I have no doubt that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and every other black leader will know exactly what I meant," Mr. Biden said.
A wounded note to his voice, Mr. Jackson pointed out that he had run against Mr. Biden for the 1988 Democratic nomination, and had lasted far longer and drawn more votes than did Mr. Biden. Mr. Biden was forced out in September 1987.Seeing that he couldn't talk his way out of it, Biden apologizes:
“I am not sure what he means — ask him to explain what he meant,” Mr. Jackson said. “I don’t know whether it was an attempt to diminish what I had done in ’88, or to say Barack is all style and no substance.”
Mr. Sharpton said that when Mr. Biden called him to apologize, Mr. Sharpton started off the conversation reassuring Mr. Biden about his hygienic practices. “I told him I take a bath every day,” Mr. Sharpton said.
No stranger to electoral intrigue, Mr. Sharpton was quick to offer a political motive: That Mr. Biden was drawing distinctions between Mr. Obama and African-American leaders like Mr. Sharpton and Mr. Jackson, to “discredit Mr. Obama with his base.”
Shortly after 6 p.m., Mr. Biden issued a written statement. “I deeply regret any offense my remark in the New York Observer might have caused anyone,” he said. “That was not my intent and I expressed that to Senator Obama.”Biden has been around for a long time, shouldn't he know that it's easier to just start with the apology? And of course he didn't intend to offend, he just didn't realize that his views were racist and condescending.
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