On whether the president is an American, Rep. Mike Coffman misspoke and he apologizes

(9NEWS.com) A lot of politicians have "gone birther" over the last few years, usually when they didn't think their remarks would reach a wider audience than the roomful of nutty conservative voters they were currently pandering to, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a subsequent walkback that's as trainwreckish as this one. Previously, it was Congressman Mike Coffman's turn at the throttle of the ol' birther locomotive, resulting in this rather strange comment:

"I don't know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don't know that. But I do know this, that in his heart, he's not an American. He's just not an American."

It turns out that saying the the president of the United States is "in his heart" not an American must still have some downside attached to it after all, because Coffman has been backpedaling ever since (note: for the purposes of this metaphor, the birther locomotive is powered by bicycle pedals. If you've ever met a birther, you probably already have this image firmly in your mind). Specifically, he released a statement saying, "I misspoke and I apologize."

And that, in turn, led to one of the most ridiculous street interviews ever given by a sitting congresscritter. Wow:

KYLE CLARK: Thank you for your time. I apologize for showing up unannounced. I've been trying to call your staff. They won't return my phone calls. Let me ask you, after your comments about the President, do you feel voters are owed a better explanation than just, I misspoke?

REP. COFFMAN: I think that... Umm... I stand by my statement that I misspoke and I apologize.

KYLE CLARK: OK. And who were you apologizing to?

REP. COFFMAN: You know, I stand by my statement that I misspoke and I apologize.

KYLE CLARK: I apologize, we talk to you all the time, you're a very forthcoming guy. Who's telling you not to talk and to handle it like this?

REP. COFFMAN: I stand by my statement, that I wrote, that you have, and I misspoke and I apologize.

KYLE CLARK: Was it that you thought it would go over well in Elbert County where folks are very conservative and you'd never say something like that in the suburbs?

REP. COFFMAN: I stand by my statement that I misspoke and I apologize.

KYLE CLARK: Is there anything I can ask you that you'll answer differently?

REP. COFFMAN: You know, I stand by my statement that I misspoke and I apologize.

KYLE CLARK: Thank you, congressman.

REP. COFFMAN: Thank you.

Coffman may be in a bit of a pickle here. If he confesses to not being effing loony after all, the base will have his head. If he doubles down on the crazy, he will risk becoming a prominent laughingstock in a Congress where you have to be really, really over the top gain a distinction like that. (You practically need to be throwing pies at people just to rise above the background noise of crazy set by people like Allen West and Louie Gohmert on any given day; Coffman's previous comments, however, did the trick.)

But it's a shame, because while Coffman is now taking the news interview equivalent of pleading the Fifth, there's still no explanation on how a sitting congressman can divine that the president of the United States is not American "in his heart." And I really wanted to hear that one.