THE TELEGRAPH: Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, has apologised for calling Left-wingers Democrats '----ing retards'.
Mr Emanuel faced calls for his resignation less than a year since President Barack Obama apologised for comparing his ten-pin bowling skills to those of disabled participants in the Special Olympics.
The famously foul-mouthed political operator had used the offending term last summer to berate liberal groups attacking conservative Democrats whose votes the White House needed for health care reform.
But his characteristically colourful language has only just been reported, drawing immediate fire from Left and Right, including Sarah Palin, the conservative heroine and former Alaska governor who is the mother of a Downs' Syndrome baby.
She called on Mr Obama to "show decency" by sacking Mr Emanuel, a former Chicago congressman who is one of the most combative figures in Washington. >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Thursday, February 04, 2010
