An Orange County Republican Party official is defending an email she sent that portrays President Obama's face superimposed on a chimpanzee with the words: "Now you know why — No birth certificate!"

Marilyn Davenport, an elected member of the party's central committee, described the controversy as "much to do about nothing" in an email and vowed that she would not resign.



"I'm sorry if my email offended anyone, I simply found it amusing regarding the character of Obama and all the questions surrounding his origin of birth," she wrote. "In no way did I even consider the fact he's half black when I sent out the email. In fact, the thought never entered my mind until one or two other people tried to make this about race. We all know a double standard applies regarding this president. I received plenty of emails about George Bush that I didn't particularly like, yet there was no 'cry' in the media about them."

She declined to comment to The Times on Saturday.