Ensign demands apology from Obama for shot at Vegas

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) demanded an apology Tuesday from President Barack Obama for remarks he made disparaging Las Vegas.

Ensign took to Twitter to ask for an apology for the remarks, the latest the president has made in several negative references to the city.

Ensign tweeted Tuesday:

Obama slams Las Vegas again. I am calling on the President to apologize for his remark.

Las Vegas is suffering through one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and we cannot afford

for the President to bring us down any further.

Obama said that people should tighten their belts in hard economic times, saying that people in similar circumstances wouldn't be so reckless as to gamble away their college savings.

When times are tough, you tighten your belts," he said during a town hall in New Hampshire." You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who faces a tough reelection this fall, and who could do without Obama taking a shot at a key element of Nevada's economy, quickly added this reaction:

I just spoke to the White House and told them that while the President is correct that people saving for college need to be fiscally responsible, the President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn't be spending their money.

Nevada is the nation's top destination for tourism and conventions. It is more popular than any other place in the country, and for good reason: it's affordable, easy to get to from anywhere and the weather is perfect.

To truly reenergize our economy, we need people to travel to Las Vegas. I would much rather tourists and business travelers spend their money in Las Vegas than spend it overseas.

Already, one of Reid's potential GOP opponents, Danny Tarkanian, has called on Obama to apologize to the city.

Updated at 6:25 p.m. Cross-posted to the Briefing Room.