Murtha apologizes for race comments

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., apologized Thursday for describing Western Pennsylvania voters as too racist to support Barack Obama for president.

"I apologize for making the comment that 'Western Pennsylvania is a racist area,'" Murtha said in a prepared statement.

Murtha came under attack Wednesday after telling the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that "Obama's got a problem with the race issue in Western Pennsylvania" and could expect his skin color to cost him up to 4 percentage points in the presidential election Nov. 4, the Tribune-Review reported.

In his apology Thursday, Murtha predicted Obama would win "both Pennsylvania and the White House."