Robert De Niro: Sorry for 'white first lady' joke!

Actor Robert De Niro has backed away from a joke he made Monday at a fundraiser for President Barack Obama.

"Callista Gingrich. Karen Santorum. Ann Romney. Now, do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?," De Niro had said.

Michelle Obama attended the fundraiser and the next day her press secretary called the joke "inappropriate." Newt Gingrich called on not De Niro, but the president to apologize, which was kind of weird.

De Niro told the AP today:

"My remarks, although spoken with satirical jest, were not meant to offend or embarrass anyone — especially the first lady."