UPDATE: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama has apologized to WXYZ reporter Peggy Agar for calling her "sweetie" during a campaign stop Wednesday in Sterling Heights.
Obama apologized in a voicemail he left on Agar's cell phone at 3:16 p.m:
"Hi Peggy. This is Barack Obama. I'm calling to apologize on two fronts. One was you didn't get your question answered and I apologize. I thought that we had set up interviews with all the local stations. I guess we got it with your station but you weren't the reporter that got the interview. And so, I broke my word. I apologize for that and I will make up for it.
"Second apology is for using the word 'sweetie.' That's a bad habit of mine. I do it sometimes with all kinds of people. I mean no disrespect and so I am duly chastened on that front. Feel free to call me back. I expect that my press team will be happy to try to make it up to you whenever we are in Detroit next."
LISTEN TO THE VOICEMAIL IN VIDEO PLAYER RIGHT (Voicemail is followed by video clip of the "sweetie" exchange)(WXYZ) - Reporters on the presidential campaign trail are buzzing about Barack Obama calling WXYZ's Peggy Agar "sweetie" during a tour Wednesday of a Chrysler plant in Sterling Heights.
The comment came during a tour of the plant when the Democratic presidential candidate tried to brush off a question from Agar about help for autoworkers. "Senator, how are you going to help the American autoworkers," Agar asked Obama. "Hold on one second, sweetie," he replied, explaining he would answer in a later media availability.
In a posting on the New York Times Political Blog titled
"Obama: Hold On, Sweetie," reporter Jim Rutenberg pointed out this wasn't the first time Obama used the word: "Back in Pennsylvania in early April, Senator Barack Obama took some heat for calling a female factory worker 'sweetie,' in Allentown."
Obama's comment to Agar has also been discussed by reporters for
The Atlantic,
Chicago Tribune, and
Newsday.
