BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A Boston Herald cartoonist has apologized after a drawing appeared in the newspaper that many are calling racist toward President Obama.
The cartoon, which was meant to be a satire on the recent security breach at the White House and the Secret Service's slow response, shows a man in Obama's bathtub, as Obama brushes his teeth, looking surprised.
"Have you tried the new watermelon flavored toothpaste?" the man asks.
The cartoon's many critics say that it played off racist stereotypes regarding African-Americans and watermelon.
It ran in both the print and online version of the newspaper. It was syndicated by GoComics but the word "watermelon" was changed to "raspberry" after the company reportedly asked the cartoonist to change it.
By midday on Wednesday, cartoonist Jerry Holbert had taken to his newspaper's online radio station to apologize, saying that he was thinking about how he himself loves watermelon, and was not considering the racial element. Holbert said he was naive, but not racist.
The Herald released a statement Wednesday afternoon apologizing to the people who were offended.
"His choice of imagery was absolutely not meant to be hurtful," the statement read. "We stand by Jerry, who is a veteran cartoonist with the utmost integrity."
Patrick, the state's first black governor, called the editorial "offensive" and "stupid" and said he "hopes there comes a day we can expect a different kind of sensitivity than we saw in this cartoon."