HispanicBusiness

In a textbook example of damage control after a colossal public blunder, Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff, said he would join the crusade to stop the use of the "R" word.

Emanuel has been on a one-man apology tour after he referred to some liberal activists as "(expletive) retarded" during a private meeting last August.

The Wall Street Journal reported the story over the weekend.

Emanuel, who has built a reputation over the years for having a potty mouth in private, was widely criticized for his comments.

Special Olympics chief executive Tim Shriver blasted Emanuel for his comments, sending him a letter explaining why the word is offensive.

". . . Our community cannot accept the idea that they will remain the butt of jokes and taunts," Shriver wrote in a letter to Emanuel. "I hope you will join us in changing the conversation and eliminating this word from your vocabulary."