(CNN) – Conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck apologized Friday after appearing to mock President Barack Obama’s 11-year-old daughter on his radio program earlier in the day.
In a statement posted on his website Friday afternoon, Beck said he broke his own rule about “leaving kids out of political debates.”
“In discussing how President Obama uses children to shield himself from criticism, I broke my own rule about leaving kids out of political debates,” said Beck in the statement. “The children of public figures should be left on the sidelines. It was a stupid mistake and I apologize–and as a dad I should have known better.”
Beck’s apology came hours after the radio host and his sidekicks imitated a pretend conversation between the president and Malia, in which Beck has his version of 11-year-old ask a series of questions that included “Daddy…why do you hate black people so much?”
Beck’s routine was prompted by a remark Obama made in his press conference Thursday, in which he said Malia had asked him earlier in the morning of the BP oil spill, "Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?"
"Is that's their - that's the level of their education, that they're coming to - they're coming to daddy and saying 'Daddy, did you plug the hole yet?' Plug the hole!" said Beck of Malia's comments.
The White House has not responded to Beck’s comments.
From CNN Politics
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I've found the people in my area that follow Beck, Limbaugh, Palin and their snide hate-filled jargon, are mostly the uneducated people that would rather kill an opponent than not.
Beck isn't sorry. Beck is an entetainment hack who would sell his soul to increase his ratings. Becks duplicity is only matched by his stupidity. He and Limbaugh have done great damage to this country buy trying to label themselves as journalist and passing off thier venom as fact.
Goes to show you the Hate that the right wing conservatives have for this President.......remembers words are the true feeling that you carry deep down inside.......I am glad that Beck said he was sorry but it still shows America the deep seeded Hate they have for this President because he is Black......No matter what this President says or does the Beck, Limbaugh, Hannitty, Palin right wing conservatives and Tea Baggers will always criticize him on the simple fact because he is Black......
Beck's entire life seems to be one "stupid mistake" after another. Go figure!
Glen Beck should be canceled. He is a big fake who just runs his mouth – how hard can that be? Go get a real job doing real work and see how good you are. Same for all your sick sidekicks. I hope devistation comes on your family as retribution from the Lord.
To Beck, The damage is already done. Your listeners only heard your derogatory remarks and any apology you later made is seen in their eyes as a government conspiracy. I personally do think you believe every word you state and that your apology is as empty as your empty headed common sense.
What a horrible, mean-spirited man Glenn Beck continues to prove himself to be. I wish he would try to be a better person for the sake of his children.
The "Why do you hate black people so much" was a reference
to those on the left, who said "Bush ignored and hated black people" because of his poor response to Katrina.
Note-Obama's response was 10 times slower than Bush's was.
The spoof was aimed more at Obama, not his daughter. It also was an attempt to illustrate the silliness, of so called conversations, between Presidents and their children..
eg Amy Carter discussing nuclear proliferation with her Father- President.
It begs the question, Why do Presidents invoke conversations which they have had with their children, to the Press? Especially when they clearly have a need to wiggle their way out of their own entanglements.
I think politicians who use their children to soften criticism of themselves are also out of line, and owe us an apology, as well.
I'm sure the people of Louisiana could not care less about early morning family conversations the President has had with his 11 year old, but would rather want to know why, He and Feds have not enacted any substancial mitigating scenarios to clean up the mess, even to this day?
Beck has apologized, will the President now apologize for his suttle stroke of manipulation?
Beck is a brain dead right winger!!! Get a life!
What a disgusting pig. It raises an interesting ethical dilemma though.
"Is it always wrong to wish death on someone, always, without question, in any situation"?
Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, these liars for profit raise these kinds of questions.
If a person spreads hate, and spreads it for personal profit and gain, and that hate has the ability to shape the worldview, or perhaps sharpen the worldview of their followers or even prompt acts of violence, is the lone nut truly the only one to blame?
Hitler didn't kill 6 million Jews, Hitler's Nazi party and state apparatus did. Same for Stalin, Pol Pot, Kim Jung Il. They used words, under order of death to the person carrying it out, but still just words.
If someone uses words of hate, without any threat to the listener for carrying it out or not, which I am sure someone like a Beck would rationalize by saying "hey, I never said do as I say or do as I intimate", does that make them guiltless.
Just asking!
Beck, Limbaugh, Palin, Bush, Cheney, Rove, Coulter, Craig.......the list of names of the neo-cons reads like a bad Stephan King novel.
This just hours after Back told Palin how terrible it was that a writer had moved in next door, and Palin were using her kids as a prop. Beck is a total hypocryte.
The reason the WH hasn't responded is because educated, sensible, and caring people should lower themselves to Glenn Beck's moronic level.
Beck is a race rioter! I know Mormons and they sure don't act like him. He should be shameful!
Beck should have not done it in the first place. Obama should not have made his family's private conversations public since there usually is public criticism over any politician's communications. Publicity goes both ways. Obama needs to stop using his family as publicity props.
Beck is a delusional extremist who, unfortunately, has a platform from which he can attract and mesmerize millions of other delusional extremists.
Not a new phenomenon, by any means. Father Coughlin did the same thing on US airwaves in the early days of broadcasting, until his pro-Hitler sympathies led to his disgrace and downfall.
Fine with me that Beck mocked Obama. Mr. Obama has done much damage to my children in his efforts to destroy our health care system, submit to Jihadists, and generally do what he can to destroy this country.
Mr. Obama's direct attack on the children of America will leave his children exposed to derision and disdain for the rest of their lives.
The reason the WH hasn't responded is because educated, sensible, and caring people shouldn't lower themselves to Glenn Beck's moronic level.
Beck seems to do a lot of "theoretical" scenarios in which he makes up how conversations between Obama and somebody else (in this case Malia) would carry out. Make believe is fun when you have a bunch of crazy brainwashed wacko's hanging on your every word.
What Beck said pales in comparison to the trash tossed out there on Palin's family, but it still crossed the line and he should have apologized. First of all, I don't think politicians whould use their own kids for political gain...it's a pure play on emotions and "tugs on the heart-strings." At least Beck did the right thing and give a real apologize...not a namby-pamby "I mispoke" or "I'm sorry if I offended anyone".
You can't unflush a toilet.....like the sewer that is Glen Becks mind....where is the outrage from his number one worshiper....Sarah Palin??
This pretty much sums up Glenn Beck: Willing to scrape the gutter to rally his fans and attack the President.
Beck has been spewing lies, hate, paranoia and nonsense for a long time; what's really sad is the number of people who listen to his garbage and nod along with it.
His apology doesn't count unless he was crying when he made it.
I watch Glen Beck all the time. I have never listened to his radio program. like him and pay attention to what he says, but he is human just like the rest of us and can make mistakes. With him saying he is sorry makes him a better man than alot of the people that are in the news today. They say some pretty bad things and never say I'm sorry.
Referring to something Beck said as "stupid" is redundant, since everything that comes out of his mouth is stupid.