Gov. apologizes for 'tar baby' remark - Yahoo! News Gov. apologizes for 'tar baby' remark Mon Jul 31, 5:17 PM ET Gov. Mitt Romney has apologized for referring to the troubled Big Dig construction project as a "tar baby" during a fundraiser with Iowa Republicans, saying he didn't know anyone would be offended by the term some consider a racial epithet. In a speech Saturday, Romney, a Republican considering a run for president in 2008, acknowledged he took a big political risk in taking control of the project after a fatal tunnel ceiling collapse, but said inaction would have been even worse. "The best thing politically would be to stay as far away from that tar baby as I can," he told a crowd of about 100 supporters in Ames, Iowa. Black leaders were outraged at his use of the term, which dates to the 19th century Uncle Remus stories, referring to a doll made of tar that traps Br'er Rabbit. It has come to be known as a way of describing a sticky mess, and has also been used as a derogatory term for a black person. "Tar baby is a totally inappropriate phrase in the 21st century," said Larry Jones, a black Republican and civil rights activist. "He thinks he's presidential timber," Jones said. "But all he's shown us is arrogance." Romney's spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, said the governor was describing "a sticky situation." "He was unaware that some people find the term objectionable and he's sorry if anyone's offended," Fehrnstrom said. Fehrnstrom produced copies of editorials and columns from Boston newspapers using "tar baby" in a context similar to Romney's. One example from 2004, a Herald editorial, used the term about the Big Dig itself. "It just goes to show you that not everyone is aware the term is considered offensive to some people," he said. White House spokesman Tony Snow sparked similar criticism in May when he used the term in response to a question about government surveillance.