So now he'll tell Obama to go to Heck?

Paul LePage is the Republican candidate for governor of Maine. And, he's been leading in the polls. Most of them, anyway.

He made the news this week by saying he'd tell Barack Obama to "go to hell."

LePage said, "As your governor, you're going to be seeing a lot of me on the front page, saying 'Governor LePage tells Obama to go to hell.'"

But, apparently, that's a problem. Telling a socialist who is doing everything he can (whether through malevolence or incompetence) to damage the United States, I mean.

I suppose that, ignoring the person in the office and considering the office itself, then, yes, it's very disrespectful to say that about the president.

But, it certainly would be hard for me to decide who is most disrespectful the office of president:

• LePage, who would tell the president to "go to hell"
• Obama, who is the most unqualified, and has now passed Jimmy Carter as the most incompetent, person to hold the office
• The people that actually voted to elect Barack Obama

I'm torn between the last two. LePage, I suspect, was directing his comments to the person, not the office.

But, LePage screwed up. Not by saying he'd tell Obama to go to hell. I'd do that.

No, LePage has apologized for saying he'd say that.

He told The Associated Press that he regretted the words he chose Sunday but wasn't backing down from his criticism of the administration for what he described as free-spending, antibusiness policies.

I suppose he's saying he should have told Obama to go to Heck?

And that's a little disappointing to me. Because he's backing down.

If he didn't mean what he said, then, yes, he should apologize. But, I think he meant it. And he should man up and say "Yes, I meant exactly what I said. Anyone, even the president, that pushes such dangerous and destructive policies, can go to hell."

But, no, he didn't say that. He regretted his choice of words.

Which means he can be pushed around. He wouldn't fall in line with the Democrats like Libby Mitchell, the Democrat nominee for governor. She's the worse choice of the two.

But, while LePage is the better of the two, he's not what he could be. And that makes me mad as heck.