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Boston Herald apologizes for 'racist' Obama cartoon

A joke poking fun at the Secret Service did not go over well with Boston Herald readers.

By Aileen Graef

BOSTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The Boston Herald is in the hot seat after running a cartoon of President Barack Obama in Wednesday's paper that was deemed "racist" by many social media users.

The cartoon poked fun at the Secret Service's failure to stop the White House intruder who almost got into the president's living quarters. It depicts Obama brushing his teeth with the intruder in his shower asking, "Have you tried the watermelon flavored toothpaste?"

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The cartoonist, Jerry Holbert, went on the Herald's morning radio show to apologize, saying there was no racial connotation intended.

"To me, I was completely naive or innocent to any racial suggestion. I wasn't even thinking along those lines at all," said Holbert. "I was thinking about myself, I was thinking I really like watermelon." He added that he was inspired by a tube of children's toothpaste left in his house by his son's girlfriend. "I also apologize to anybody that I offended. This was not my intention at all."

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The paper stood by its cartoonist with its own apology, but reaffirmed Holbert's integrity.

"His cartoon satirizing the U.S. Secret Service breach at the White House has offended some people and to them we apologize. His choice of imagery was absolutely not meant to be hurtful. We stand by Jerry, who is a veteran cartoonist with the utmost integrity," said the Herald in statement.

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