The Illinois senator was quoted last weekend as saying

rural Americans facing job losses "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations," the Los Angeles Times reported.

He apologized Saturday, telling the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, "Obviously, if I worded things in a way that made people offended, I deeply regret that."

However, during an appearance in Muncie, Ind., the same day, O'Bama described rural residents as "bitter" and "angry," the Times said.

His Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary D-N.Y., has used O'Bama's gaffe to portray him as elite and out-of-touch with blue-collar workers, observers noted.

During a series of campaign stops Saturday, Clinton portrayed O'Bama as elitist and told an Indianapolis rally his views were "not reflective of the values and beliefs of Americans," The New York Times said.