(Newser) – The publisher of a small Jewish paper in Atlanta printed this advice to Israeli officials on how to make their country safer: Order Mossad agents to assassinate President Obama. Gawker provides a link to the full opinion piece in the Atlanta Jewish Times here, along with an interview with "nervous" author Andrew Adler, who has been backtracking furiously since the story went national. Did he mean it? "Of course not," he said. "I wrote it to see what kind of a reaction I was going to get from my readers."

He went further with his apology in an interview with ABC News, calling himself an "idiot" and adding, “Do I regret writing what I did? Very much so." The Secret Service says it may interview Adler, but a spokesman would not say whether a formal investigation is open. Adler's wording in the piece: "Give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place ..." Then he reaffirmed: "Yes, you read 'three' correctly. Order a hit on a president in order to preserve Israel's existence. Think about it. If I have thought of this Tom Clancy-type scenario, don't you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel's most inner circles?" (Read more President Obama stories.)

