Rand Paul Blasts Ted Nugent, And Says He Should Apologize For Calling Obama A 'Subhuman Mongrel'

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who is frequently mentioned as a possible Republican presidential candidate, called on rocker Ted Nugent to apologize after calling President Barack Obama a "subhuman mongrel" in a recent interview.

Paul's denunciation of Nugent came amid controversy in Nugent's home state of Texas, where he has campaigned in recent days with GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott. Abbott fled reporters when he was questioned Wednesday about his decision to campaign with Nugent.

Other prominent Texas politicians and possible 2016 GOP candidates also began pushing back on Nugent's comments on Thursday. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told CNN that he disagreed with Nugent's comments and would never use similar words.

Later on Thursday, current Texas Gov. Rick Perry told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he had a "problem" with Nugent's comments.

"He shouldn't have said that about the president of the United States," Perry said. "I've got a problem calling the president a mongrel. ... That is an inappropriate thing to say."

For his part amid the backlash, Nugent has gone on an extensive Twitter rant Thursday, asking his followers if his words were "really more offensive" than certain qualms of his with the Obama administration.

A sampling: