British journalist Martin Bashir has apologised for “deeply offensive” comments he made about the former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
In a commentary for MSNBC on Friday, Bashir called the former Alaska governor “America’s resident dunce” and a “world class idiot”.
He suggested Palin be punished for remarks about slavery by having someone defecate in her mouth.
Bashir had attacked Palin and her “long-diseased mind” after playing video of a speech where she compared the United States’ potential indebtedness to China to slavery.
Bashir had quoted from the diary of Thomas Thistlewood, a British plantation overseer in 18th century Jamaica, whose punishments were detailed in diaries.
After a slave was caught eating sugar cane, Thistlewood ordered another slave to defecate in his mouth and he was then gagged for up to five hours.
In Bashir’s comments during his hour-long cable TV programme, he said: “When Mrs. Palin invokes slavery, she doesn’t just prove her rank ignorance, she confirms (that) if anyone truly qualifies for a dose of discipline from Thomas Thistlewood, then she would be the outstanding candidate.”
In a subsequent lengthy on-air apology, Bashir said: “I wanted to take this opportunity to say sorry to Mrs. Palin and offer an unreserved apology to her friends and family, our viewers and anyone else who might have heard what I said.”
