Jesse Jackson uses racial slur to refer to blacks

Fox: Jackson used racial slur to refer to blacks in off-air remarks where he criticized Obama

CHICAGO: The Rev. Jesse Jackson used an emotionally charged racial slur during a break in a TV interview in which he criticized presidential candidate Barack Obama, Fox News confirmed Wednesday.

The longtime civil rights leader already came under fire this month for crude off-air comments he made against Obama in what he thought was a private conversation during a taping of a "Fox & Friends" news show.

In additional comments from that same conversation, first reported by TVNewser, the African-American leader is reported to have said Obama was "talking down to black people," and referred to blacks with a slur commonly referred to as the N-word when he said Obama was telling them "how to behave."

Though a Fox spokesman confirmed to The Associated Press that Jackson used the slur, the network declined to release the full transcript of the July 6 show and did not air the comments.

Jackson — who is traveling in Spain — apologized in a statement Wednesday for "hurtful words" but did not offer specifics.

"I am deeply saddened and distressed by the pain and sorrow that I have caused as a result of my hurtful words. I apologize again to Senator Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, their children as well as to the American public," Jackson said in a written statement. "There really is no justification for my comments and I hope that the Obama family and the American public will forgive me. I also pray that we, as a nation, can move on to address the real issues that affect the American people."

A spokeswoman for Jackson's civil rights organization, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, said she could not confirm that Jackson used the slur.

"I am deeply saddened and distressed by the pain and sorrow that I have caused as a result of my hurtful words. I apologize again to Senator Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, their children as well as to the American public," Jackson said in a written statement. "There really is no justification for my comments and I hope that the Obama family and the American public will forgive me. I also pray that we, as a nation, can move on to address the real issues that affect the American people."

Jackson has called on the entertainment industry, including rappers, actors and studios, to stop using the word, which is associated with America's painful history of segregation and slavery. He also urged the public to boycott purchasing DVD copies of the TV sitcom "Seinfeld" after co-star Michael Richards was taped using the word during a rant at a Los Angeles comedy club in 2006.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader who has joined Jackson in opposition of the word, said Wednesday he wanted to hear the comments for himself and declined to discuss Jackson specifically.

"I am against the use of the N-word by anyone and I think we must be consistent," he told The Associated Press. "We must not use the word."

Unacceptable!

what a dummy

The thing that pisses me off, is the way jesse jackson is always telling crackers how to behave.

Oh snap, I done said it.

These racist lines doing anything for you?

when I worked at Taco Hell, I was working drive-thru and my coworker (a white guy) handed a bag out the window (to a black guy) and said "there you go, homey"

except at first I thought he said "there you go, honkey"

I just thought it'd be really funny if a white dude called a black dude a honkey.

It's pretty damn funny either way.

I only found out what a cracker was after watching South Park. I had to go and ask Ron after I heard it on the show. Now if someone will please explain what "buck" means, I'll be a little better off.

buck means a man, particularly a young man