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Republicans on Sunday demanded Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid resign for racially-tinged remarks made during the 2008 presidential campaign, while fellow Democrats closed ranks around the beleaguered lawmaker.
Calls for Reid to resign his post followed revelations of his remarks in a soon-to-be-released book, in which he says that the United States is ready to embrace a black presidential candidate like Obama because he is a "light-skinned" African-American with "no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."
Since the excerpt of his remarks was disclosed, the top Senate Democrat has shown public contrition, reportedly making phone calls to dozens of black lawmakers in Congress and expressing his personal regret to President Obama, who accepted his apology.
But Republicans, decrying the remark as indicative of closet liberal racism among Democrats, called on the Democratic leader to step down.
"It's a reflection of an attitude," said Michael Steele, head of the Republican National Committee and himself African-American, speaking on Fox News Sunday television program.
Steele answered a decisive "yes," when asked if Reid should resign following his remarks published in "Game Change," the upcoming book on the 2008 presidential campaign.
"Clearly, he is out of touch not only with where America and his district are but where -- how African-Americans generally feel about these issues," said Steele, who called the comments "inappropriate, absolutely."
Steele seemed to take particular umbrage over the use of the word "negro" a word that has been retired from every day usage in describing people of African-American descent.
"It's an old mindset when you're using language in 2008 that harkens back to the 1950s and '60s," he told the Fox News Sunday television program.
Democrats, meanwhile, described the remarks as an unfortunate choice of language, and brushed aside calls for their leader to step aside.
"I think Senator Reid did a very big thing yesterday by saying, you know, ' used language that, looking back on it, wasn't the right language,'" said Tim Kaine, the Democratic governor of Virginia and head of the Democratic National Committee, tasked with fundraising and providing electoral support to party members, also speaking to Fox News Sunday.
Obama, Kaine said, "made very plain in his discussions that he considers Senator Reid a great battler for equality and social justice and considers the book closed."
Reid has been in Republican sights for a long time, and his downfall would be considered a major GOP coup.
He was already in political trouble in his home state Nevada, where he is to stand for reelection later this year.
Republicans also see the imbroglio as a chance to equal the score after their Senate leader several years ago, Trent Lott, was made to resign for comments deemed racially insensitive.
"There's a double standard. If (Trent Lott) should resign, then Harry Reid should," said conservative Jon Kyl, the Senate Republican Whip, speaking to Fox News Sunday.
"I'd like to see the same standard applied to both," he said.
Reid in his statement on Saturday apologized not only to Obama, but to all African-Americans.
"I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words. I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African Americans, for my improper comments," Reid said, highlighting that "throughout my career... I have worked hard to advance issues important to the African-American community."
Obama later issued a statement of his own accepting Reid's apology "without question."
"I accepted Harry's apology without question because I've known him for years, I've seen the passionate leadership he's shown on issues of social justice and I know what's in his heart," the president said.
