NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The New York Post apologized  on Thursday to those offended by an editorial cartoon that  critics said was racist because it likened President Barack  Obama to a chimpanzee.

The newspaper acknowledged that the cartoon published on  Wednesday had drawn controversy because African-Americans and  others saw it as a depiction of Obama.

“This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were  offended by the image, we apologize,” the paper said in an  editorial on its website headlined “That Cartoon.”

“It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus  bill. Period,” the paper said.