WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., apologized Saturday for comments he made about Barack Obama's race during the U.S. president's electoral campaign.
Reid said in a statement to CNN he regretted saying during the 2008 presidential race that Obama may be successful due to his "light-skinned" appearance and his speaking patterns "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
"I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words," Reid said. "I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African-Americans for my improper comments."
Reid's apology comes ahead of the release of "Game Change" by journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.
"He (Reid) was wowed by Obama's oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama -- a 'light-skinned' African-American 'with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,' as he said privately," the journalists said in the book, due for release Tuesday.
Obama responded to Reid's comments, saying he accepted the senator's apology.
"I accepted Harry's apology without question because I've known him for years, I've seen the passionate leadership he's shown on issues of social justice and I know what's in his heart. As far as I am concerned, the book is closed," the president said in a White House release.
