You're Offended? I'm Offended.

While I'm glad that cave men like this will soon be extinct, I have to admire his guts for sticking to his guns.

The public meeting had just begun this morning when a young woman delivered a cup of coffee to Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer.

Schaefer watched her walk away, appearing to stare at her backside, then motioned for her to come back."Walk again," he told the woman, who is an aide to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) She headed out, seemingly flustered.

The 84-year old comptroller, a former Democratic governor and mayor of Baltimore who is seeking reelection in November, later defended his behavior at the Board of Public Works meeting and berated several reporters who asked if he believed his actions were offensive.

"That's so God-damn dumb I can't believe it," Schaefer said. "I look at one of the girls as she walked out. Big deal. . . . I look at the girls every time they walk out. The day I don't look at pretty girls, I die."

Schaefer then went into the adjoining governor's suite and soon returned, acknowledging "the girl" had been embarrassed.

"A little girl walks out and I make a joke out of it," he said. "The one who is offended is me."