Huckabee apologizes to Romney after debate

DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Mike Huckabee said he apologized to Mitt Romney after a Republican presidential debate in Iowa for his comment in an upcoming article about Romney's religion.

Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist preacher, was quoted in a New York Times Magazine article as asking, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?"

Huckabee told CNN that after Wednesday's final Iowa debate he walked up and formally apologized to Romney, who graciously accepted, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Huckabee campaign issued a statement Tuesday saying he was taken out of context and was not attacking Mormonism, The Boston Globe said.

"I think attacking someone's religion is really going too far," Romney said Wednesday morning on NBC's "Today" show. It's just not the American way, and I think people will reject that."