It's boring to keep saying, "can you imagine if a Republican said that" but can you imagine if a Republican had said that?

What is it with the occupants of this White House and special needs Americans?

A White House official emails that Rahm Emanuel has acknowledged calling liberal Democrats "retarded" and apologized for the remark.

"Rahm called Tim Shriver Wednesday to apologize and the apology was accepted," the official said.

Shriver is the Chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics, which has launched a campaign against what it calls "the R word."

The remark was first reported last week in the Wall Street Journal, and drew an extended attack from Sarah Palin.

Said the official, “The White House remains committed to addressing the concerns and needs of Americans living with disabilities and recognizes that derogatory remarks demean us all.”

UPDATE: A Democrat points out Rahm apologized to Shriver, but not to the liberals he called "retarded."

The best take on this comes from Glenn Reynolds, who notes that

Rahm Emanuel compares Democrats to retarded people, then apologizes to retarded people.

Heh.