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Obama administration "green jobs czar" Van Jones has apologized for calling Republicans "a**holes."

Jones made the comment in February, before he became a member of the administration, Glenn Thrush reports.

Asked at a Berkeley, Calif., forum why Republicans in Congress are blocking Obama administration efforts, Jones replied, "the answer to that is they're a**holes," prompting laughter and applause from the crowd.

Jones added: "…and Barack Obama's not an a**hole. I can be an a**hole. And some of us who are not Barack Hussein Obama are going to have to start getting a little bit uppity." (Watch the video.)

Jones apologized for the comment yesterday.

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President Obama today dismissed Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for him to apologize for criticizing the Iranian government's violent crackdown on protesters allied with reformist politician Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

"I don't take Mr. Ahmadinejad's statements seriously about apologies, particularly given the fact that the United States has gone out of its way not to interfere with the election process in Iran," he said.

"I would suggest that Mr. Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people.," Mr. Obama continued. "And he might want to consider looking at the families of those who've been beaten or shot or detained. And, you know, that's where I think Mr. Ahmadinejad and others need to answer their questions."

In a press conference following a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday afternoon, Mr. Obama continued to offer stronger rhetoric concerning government violence against protesters in Iran, referencing the government's "ruthlessness" and saying "the violence perpetrated against [protestors] is outrageous."

"And despite the government's efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it," he said. "As I've said before, the Iranian people will be the ultimate judge of their government's actions. But if the Iranian government desires the respect of the international community, then it must respect the rights and heed the will of its people."

The president also said that there is "no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks." He said he doesn't know how that dialogue will be affected since the situation has not yet played out.

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Senator John Ensign apologized to the Republican senators today for his nine-month affair with a campaign staffer.

In a closed-door meeting, Ensign delivered what Tennessee Senator Bob Caucus said was "a heartfelt apology" to his colleagues, the Washington Post reports.

"He spoke at our conference, apologized and indicated that he was going to do his job," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, according to the Associated Press.

The Nevada senator's apology was accepted by his GOP colleagues.

"He apologized and we welcomed him back," Sen. Robert Bennett told reporters.

Ensign admitted to having an affair with Cynthia Hampton last week and soon after resigned from his leadership role on the Republican Policy Committee.

Although his colleagues have accepted his apology, Fox News’ Sean Hannity is calling on Ensign to resign from the senate.

In response to a claim that he is defending Ensign, Hannity said, "My answer is, if you’re going to be a family-values candidate and a family-values politician, and you don’t live up to that, I think you should resign," Think Progress reports.

The Post reports that Ensign, a social conservative who harshly criticized Bill Clinton and Larry Craig for their personal scandals, dodged the media and declined to comment today. Ensign is seen leaving the Republican meeting Tuesday.

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Based on his comments during a series of interviews last night, it seems as though President Obama’s harshest critic may just be President Obama.

“I think I messed up, I screwed up,” President Obama told CBS News’ Katie Couric. “In not recognizing the perception that even though this is a honest mistake,” he explained. (Read the transcript of the interview here.)

The president was referring to revelations hours earlier that his pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle, had withdrawn his nomination amid criticism of his initial failure to pay $140,000 in taxes.

During interviews with CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX and CNN, President Obama was asked about the cabinet staffing hiccup. The typically confident president repeatedly said that the appointment scandal was his responsibility and apologized over (and over) again.

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