Washington (CNN) – U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Illinois, apologized on Friday for calling President Barack Obama “idiotic” while speaking to a group of voters earlier this week.
“That was absolutely stepping over the line and I apologized,” Walsh told CNN's Wolf Bliter on "The Situation Room."
“He’s not an idiot, he is the president of the free world.”
“What I meant to say,” said Walsh, “and I didn't say it very artfully, is the notion of him using his office to call a joint session of Congress to just repackage a few old jobs ideas - that to me is idiotic.”
Walsh called Obama idiotic while speaking to a group of voters in Illinois on August 31.
In a statement on Thursday, Walsh announced that he would not be attending Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress on September 8.
“To me this is nothing but a political move by this president and I simply didn't want to be a pawn in this political theater,” the congressman said.
The White House has said the president will lay out a new jobs plan that he intends to submit to Congress following the speech.
Walsh said he has not yet told House Speaker John Boehner that he will be skipping the speech and has not asked any other representatives to join him.
“I would rather go home ... and talk to small businessmen and women and find out from them what we need to do about this economy,” Walsh said. “And I will bring those ideas back to the president.”
Watch The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer weekdays at 4pm to 6pm ET and Saturdays at 6pm ET. For the latest from The Situation Room click here.
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Pay your child support!
“To me this is nothing but a political move by this president and I simply didn't want to be a pawn in this political theater,” the congressman said.
Aren't you a "politician"??Wouldn't every move he makes be political? If you don't want to participate, why did you run for public office?You also don't seem to want to participate in the payment of child support.
That's not the first time this idiot, and I won't take it back, has stepped over the line in his blatant disrespect of the President. He needs to be soundly defeated in the next election, unless his constituents appreciate what he's doing to them.
This guy is a total jerk and an embarrassment to the entire congress and country. Why doesn't he just start his own country where he doesn't have to respect the person in the highest office in the land and can be as rude and immature as he wants to be.
Is attending joint sessions of Congress an expected responsibility of a US Representative? I would expect my representative, regardless of party, to attend to the affairs of state. If Mr. Joe Walsh was my non-attending representative I would not vote for him again because he had (1) put party above country and (2) was not prepared to work within our three-party system of government. His not attending is like missing a school class since he will return unprepared to do his official homework! As a retired active duty retiree, I still place value on Duty-Honor-Country.
Why you were right he doesn't have a clue.
Here's what's idiotic: blaming this administration for putting debt on the backs of his children while simultaneously refusing to pay child support for said children. Will never take anything this guy says seriously.
He said EXACTLY what he was thinking. It is typical of the respect for President Obama by the Republicans. " What I meant to say " , is exactly what came out of his mouth. Going to be a waste of 12 more months of No No No from the House of Representatives.
Every Republcan candidate has been called stupid by the msm since I've been aware. I don't think O is stupid, I think he's an evil marxist.
Another nut case who made the big time. I'll be glad when this fad has run it's course and we get some serious people elected to represent us.
They elected a guy who left his house go into foreclosure and failed to pay back child support to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars and stiffed his campaign staffers out of their pay. This nutjob is a real class act. He has the gall to call the president an idiot! He represents a crappy district in Illinois whose largest town is Schamburg. He has done nothing but hog the airwaves with his hateful tea party crap while delivering nothing for his district (remember then joe, they were the ones who elected you). What a dope.
Why should he apologize? We've come to expect nothing less from this bufoon.
Hey...Got Child Support?
Pathetic
Someone must have told the Repub that Obama was half-white, so his racist self backtracked real quick.
No apology needed.......you were right the first time.
This guy disrespects the Office of the President of the United States of America, and pretty much by extension the country and the people as well.
Pure scum.
“I would rather go home ... and talk to small businessmen and women and find out from them what we need to do about this economy,” Walsh said. “And I will bring those ideas back to the president.”
So you admit that you have no idea how to fix the economy, but you sure as hell won't listen to a democrat?
what you sew, you shall reap.
This is the same dead beat dad that owes child support. I am ashamed he is from Illinois.
The Rpuglicans have made it common place to dennigrate the Presidency of the United States. They offer no job plans for America...they simply are the NO folks on Capital Hill. In an effort to hurt the Presidency and keep him from being successful, they have pulled down good Americans, like the President and made their lives miserable. How are the Repugs going to ever find voters when they rape the Middle Class, and ignore the Poor of America?
This idiot just gave the nation confirmation that the republicans' interest in job creation was a clever ruse to get elected in 2010 and that they have no intention to support a job creation plan as evidenced by their unwillingness to not even attend the president' speech, much less pass a jobs bill.
During President Obama's address to the joint session of Congress, the republicans will be just sitting there stone face, rolling their eyes, and shouting "you lie", fully knowing that they will be voting against the best interest of this country.
However, Joe Walsh just divulged their insidious plan and now he is trying to walk it back.
What was that line from that movie? "Stupid is as stupid does."
Technically, I suppose, Obama isn't an idiot, but he's sure doing a great job of playing one on TV. He's made one bone-headed decision after another for almost three years: a "stimulus" that stimulated nothing but the growth of government and the size of the debt, bailing out loser banks and his pals in the UAW, cramming Obamacare down the throat of a country that didn't want it, and threatening to raise the price of energy through the roof.
With genius like this, who needs idiots?
The man does not even pay his full child support and he has the audacity to call someone an idiot. Dead beat dads elected to congress. Gee, the Tea party is the party of equal opportunity.
Walsh has a point. you have got to be an idiot for this move. it was something that should have been started 3 years ago but obama is doing it now just for votes sad thing is soon as he gets peoples votes he will not fulfill what he started......
Walsh said, "How idiotic is this president? I don't want to be disrespectful, but he's going to bring forth a jobs plan next week. Think about that for a minute. He's been in office for three years. He's destroyed job creation systematically for three years."
Walsh has nothing to apologize for. calling some one even a president an idiot is no big deal obama is such a baby. how many time was bush called idiot and stupid and moron. he was never apologized too.
Gets coverage for making the statement then gets more coverage apologizing for it.
What the hell has this guy been doing for the last 6 weeks? Didn't they just return from a break to work a grueling 2 day week next week? Now he intends to talk with people in his district? Not all the people, just those who say what he wants to hear. Then this guy calls a joint session of congress a political stunt. Better look at your own behavior and words to see political stunts. What a joke, both parties are being run by the wing nuts and it will finish this country.