WASHINGTON – A Republican congressman from Texas has apologised after he essentially compared US President Barack Obama with Adolf Hitler in a tweet about last week’s deadly attacks in France.
“Even Adolph (sic) Hitler thought it more important than Obama to get to Paris,” Randy Weber posted on Twitter, after the US leader failed to join the more than a million people who marched through the French capital in an unprecedented show of defiance against Islamist extremism.
“For all the wrong reasons,” Mr Weber added, presumably referring to Hitler’s survey of German-occupied Paris in June 1940.
“Obama couldn’t do it for right reasons.”
The president was criticised for not participating in the massive unity rally or even sending a top emissary such as Secretary of State John Kerry to a march attended by several world leaders.
And the White House apologised for the misstep.
But Mr Weber’s caustic attack was seen as beyond the pale, and several Jewish groups reportedly demanded an apology.
“I need to first apologise to all those offended by my tweet,” Mr Weber said in a statement on Tuesday some 17 hours after his original post.
