Ted Nugent has apologized for having called President Obama a "subhuman mongrel." Yesterday (Feb. 21), the veteran guitarist acknowledged that he regretted his recent choice of words.

In an interview with radio host and CNN commentator Ben Ferguson yesterday (Feb. 21), Nugent said, "I do apologize -– not necessarily to the President -– but on behalf of much better men than myself." He added that the apology was "for using the streetfighter terminology of 'subhuman mongrel' instead of just using more understandable language, such as 'violator of his oath to the Constitution.'"

Later, he said, "I apologize for using the term. I will try to elevate my vernacular to the level of those great men that I'm learning from in the world of politics." After listeners noted Nugent's choice of words, Ferguson asked if he was, in fact, directly apologizing to the President. Nugent backtracked and said, "Yes."

Nugent's use of the racially loaded phrase last month has prompted a national controversy. In response, Nugent sent out 44 tweets on Wednesday questioning whether his words were more offensive than the President's policies.

Even many leading Republicans, who have defended Nugent's positions in the past, denounced his choice of words. Wesley Pruden of the conservative-leaning Washington Times -- where Nugent once published a weekly column -- wondered about the guitarist's impact on the Texas gubernational race. Nugent has recently campaigned with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is the front-runner. "He invited an aging rock musician with a loose mouth who was semifamous 40 years ago to campaign with him the other day," Pruden wrote. "And now he wishes he hadn’t."

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