BOSTON -- Gov Mitt Romney has apolo...

BOSTON -- Gov Mitt Romney has apologized for referring to the troubl Big Dig construction plot as a "tar baby" during a fundraiser with Iowa Republicans, saying he didn't know anyone would be vexed by the term some consider a racial epithet.

In a language Saturday, Romney, a Republican considering a go proceed for president in 2008, acknowledged he took a big political risk in taking sway of the project after a fatal underground thoroughfare ceiling collapse.

"The best thing politically would be to stay as far away from that tar baby as I can," he said.

a black leaders were outraged at his use of the denomination which dates to the 19th hundred Uncle Remus stories, referring to a doll made of tar that traps Br'er Rabbit. It has draw near to be known as a way of describing a sticky mes and has also been used as a derogatory spell for a black person.

"Tar baby is a totally inappropriate phrase in the 21st century" said Larry Jone a black Republican.

"He thinks he's presidential timber," Jone said. "But all he's shown us is arrogance."

Romney's spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom produc copies of editorials and lines from Boston newspapers using "tar baby" in a words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following similar to Romney's. One example from 2004 a Herald editorial, used the time about the Big Dig itself. "It just goe to indicate you that not everyone is aware the space of time is considered offensive to about people," he said.

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