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Murtha apologizes for calling western Pennsylvania 'racist'
(CNN) -- Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha, a supporter of Barack Obama's presidential bid, apologized Thursday for calling western Pennsylvania "a racist area.""While we cannot deny that race is a factor in this election, I believe we've been able to look beyond race these past few months, and that voters today are concerned with the policy differences of our two candidates and their vision for the future of our great country," he said in a statement issued by his office. That's an apology? "Senator Obama has shown sound judgment and has presented us with a change from the failed policies of George Bush and John McCain. I believe he will win both Pennsylvania and the White House." Murtha represents Pennsylvania's 12th District in the southwest corner of the state. Murtha's apology came after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted a story on its Web site Wednesday that quotes the veteran Democratic congressman as saying, "no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area," and predicting that those attitudes could cost the Illinois senator on Election Day. In a statement later that day, a Murtha spokesman defended the remarks, telling The Associated Press that "It's naive to think that race or gender doesn't play a role in a voter's perception of a candidate." Obama has struggled to connect with rural Pennsylvanians for much of the campaign. His infamous "bitter" comments -- about residents of some of the state's small towns -- became a rallying cry for primary rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, who took that contest by a nearly double-digit margin. Posted by: tu3031 2008-10-16 |
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