Harry Reid apologized today for his "poor choice of words" in 2008 when he said candidate Barack Obama had a chance to win because he was "light-skinned" and had "no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Reid made the comments privately, but they're coming out in a new political book. "I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African Americans," said Reid. Obama quickly accepted the apology and said, "As far as I am concerned, the book is closed."
Reid's comments are revealed in Game Change, by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, and came during a discussion in which Reid made the case that the nation was ready for a black president, notes Politico. The embarrassing flap comes to light on the same day the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the Nevada senator has an all-time high "unfavorable" rating of 52%.
(More Harry Reid stories.)