Paul: Nugent should apologize to Obama

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Thursday night called on Ted Nugent to apologize for his “offensive” comments about President Obama.

Paul, in a Twitter message, said Nugent’s words describing the president as a “subhuman mongrel” had no place in the political debate.

Ted Nugent’s derogatory description of President Obama is offensive and has no place in politics. He should apologize.

— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) February 21, 2014

Paul made one of the most forceful statements against Nugent after a number of other potential GOP presidential candidates weighed in earlier Thursday.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said “of course” he does not agree with the rock star’s comments but declined to say whether he would campaign with him, adding he would avoid engaging in hypotheticals.

Cruz complimented Nugent’s Second Amendment credentials but said it was “curious” he was being questioned about a rock star’s comments.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) said he had a problem with someone calling the president a “mongrel,” describing the comments as “pretty tough words.”

The governor declined to weigh in on his Lt. Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to invite Nugent to campaign with him, which reignited the debate about comments Nugent made last month.

The rock star’s words, however, should not surprise anyone, Perry said.

“The idea that Ted Nugent has said something outrageous shouldn’t surprise anybody,” Perry said.

Abbott, who is running to replace Perry, invited the singer to campaign with him in Texas this week. After doing so, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) defended the two men, saying “If [Abbott] is good enough for Ted Nugent, he is good enough for me.”

Nugent’s initial comments came in an interview with Guns.com in which he unleashed a barrage of insults at Obama.

“I have obviously failed to galvanize and prod, if not shame, enough Americans to be ever vigilant not to let a Chicago communist-raised, communist-educated, communist-nurtured subhuman mongrel like the ACORN community organizer gangster Barack Hussein Obama to weasel his way into the top office of authority in the United States of America,” Nugent said.