Hank Williams, Jr. Apologizes for Comparing President to Hitler

"Some of us have strong opinions and are often misunderstood," insists Hank Williams, Jr. in the wake of his controversial remarks made on Monday's 'FOX and Friends.'

The country legend came under a media firestorm after criticizing President Obama for his summer golf game with House Speaker John Boehner during the height of the national budget crisis. "That was one of the biggest political mistakes ever," Hank Jr. said on the live broadcast. "Come on! That'd be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu!"

So was Bocephus truly comparing the president to the Nazi leader who masterminded one of the worst genocides in world history? Even he admits that statement was a little off base. "My analogy was extreme, but it was to make a point," the singer insists. "I was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me -- how ludicrous that pairing was. They're polar opposites and it made no sense. They don't see eye-to-eye and never will. I have always respected the office of the President."

Hank Jr.'s comments did not sit well with ESPN, the home of 'Monday Night Football,' which has featured a version of the country star's 'All My Rowdy Friends' song as its opening video for 20 years now. The network pulled the clip from last night's game, reasoning that, "While Hank Williams, Jr. is not an ESPN employee, we recognize that he is closely linked to our company through the open to 'Monday Night Football.' We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result we have decided to pull the open from tonight's telecast."

Although Hank Jr. has apologized, he is not backing down on his frustrations with current political policies.

"Every time the media brings up the tea party, it's painted as racist and extremists -- but there's never a backlash, no outrage to those comparisons," he says. "Working class people are hurting, and it doesn't seem like anybody cares. When both sides are high-fiving it on the ninth hole when everybody else is without a job, it makes a whole lot of us angry. Something has to change. The policies have to change."

Hank Jr. is a longtime, outspoken supporter of the Republican party, campaigning for George W. Bush in 2000 and for John McCain in 2008. The country superstar has even talked of running for one of Tennessee's U.S. Senate seats in 2012.