WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Rock star turned right-wing activist Ted Nugent said he apologizes, but not necessarily to U.S. President Barack Obama, for calling Obama a "subhuman mongrel."
Nugent -- who is campaigning on behalf of Texas Lt. Gov. Greg Abbott in the state's race for governor -- recently told an interviewer he had "obviously failed to galvanize and prod and not shame enough Americans to be ever vigilant not to let a Chicago communist-raised, communist-educated, communist- nurtured, subhuman mongrel like the ACORN community organizer gangster, Barack Hussein Obama, to weasel his way into the top office of authority of the United States of America."
Critics, including CNN anchor Wolfe Blitzer, noted the use of the term "subhuman mongrels."
"That's what the Nazis called Jews to justify the genocide of the Jewish community," Blitzer said.
Nugent told conservative radio host Ben Ferguson Friday he was sorry, CNN reported.
"I do apologize -- not necessarily to the president -- but on behalf of much better men than myself," he said in apologizing "for using the street-fighter terminology of 'subhuman mongrel' instead of just using more understandable language, such as 'violator of his oath to the Constitution.'"
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said in a Twitter post Thursday Nugent's "derogatory description of President Obama is offensive and has no place in politics. He should apologize."
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, told CNN the "subhuman mongrel" remark was
inappropriate."
"I got a problem calling the president a mongrel," Perry said.
