New York state comptroller Alan Hevesi threatened Bush during his own speech at a college commencement.

“Alan Hevesi publicly apologized today for a ‘beyond dumb’ remark about ‘putting a bullet between the president’s eyes.’ Hevesi hastily called a mea culpa press conference hours after putting his foot in his mouth at the Queens College commencement. The Queens College media relations office said it had videotaped the commencement but could not immediately provide a copy of the tape or a transcript. At the press conference, a contrite Hevesi repeated what he recalled saying in the speech.

The comptroller said he was merely trying to convey that Sen. Charles Schumer has strength and courage to stand up to the president. ‘I apologize to the president of the United States’ as well as to Schumer, said Hevesi. ‘I am not a person of violence. I am apologizing as abjectly as I can. There is no excuse for it. It was beyond dumb.’ Hevesi said he hadn’t been in touch with the White House but he hoped his apology reached President Bush. Hevesi also called his comments ‘remarkably stupid’ and ‘incredibly moronic.’”

Hevesi was not arrested.