Jackson Free Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour acknowledges he used the term "tar babies" to describe President Barack Obama's policies, but says "neither the context nor the connotation was intended to offend."

The website Politico first reported Barbour made the remark during a conference call last week with clients of his Washington lobbying firm, BGR.

In a statement sent to The Associated Press on Thursday, Barbour says that during a question-and-answer session on the call, someone asked if Democrats will run from or embrace Obama's policies and record in 2016. He says that's when he used the term to describe a difficult situation.

"If someone takes offense, I regret it," he said.

Mississippi state Sen. John Horhn, who is black, called Barbour's use of the phrase "racially insensitive and in poor taste."