Haley Barbour Apologizes for Obama 'Hot Poker' Dig

Haley Barbour has apologized for a rude, crude—and some would say racist—suggestion about what to do to President Obama. "While I would love" for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to "put a hot poker to Obama’s butt, I thought he did what he was supposed to do," the former Mississippi governor said at a fundraiser last week, referring to Christie's speech at the GOP National Convention.

Barbour was quickly ripped for what sounded like encouragement to "brand" the nation's first black president. “I apologize to anyone who feels my comment had connotations that I did not intend,” Barbour tells Politico. He says he was simply trying to praise Christie, but added: "It's critical that we all keep our comments free of extremes or anything that could be misinterpreted.” (More Haley Barbour stories.)