U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel attends the opening ceremony of the Pentagon's permanent Korean War exhibition near Washington June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Defense Chief Hagel Expresses Regret Over Taliban Joke -- Reuters
(Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has expressed regret to an Indian-born college professor for jokingly asking, "you're not a member of the Taliban, are you?" seconds before the professor rose to ask a question.
Hagel's spokesman said the joke was not directed at anyone in particular, and the defense secretary called the professor, Robin Gandhi, to tell him as much hours after the Wednesday event at the University of Nebraska, where Hagel gave a speech and took questions from the audience.
Still, the remarks have drawn considerable media attention, particularly given the announcement this week that the United States and the Taliban intend to hold talks after nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan.
Hagel "expressed regret for any trouble that this caused the professor," spokesman George Little told reporters.
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My Comment: In this politically correct world .... this is serious. For me .... not so .... but I am from a different time and generation where jokes were just that .... even the ones with bad taste.
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