Carl Paladino is doing a morning talk-show circuit to clarify his comments from yesterday in Orthodox Jewish Brooklyn about homosexuality, and here is his clip with Matt Lauer on the Today Show.

He defended himself from questions about the most inflammatory line in the prepared remarks that were distributed to the press, which he didn't say, about "dysfunctional homosexuals," saying the Jewish leaders who prepared the text " went too far in the discussion and I crossed all that stuff out."



He added, "I did not say that. It's unacceptable...i don't know the people that wrote that but I crossed it out in the car. I did not say it. And to repeat it is wrong."

But he also stood by many of his comments, saying that he was speaking in the frame of gay marriage and the difficulty that gay people face in society. He said that he found discrimination that gay people face painful, and added he has gay employees and a gay nephew.

When Lauer asked if his other comments from yesterday help foster some prejudices, he adamantly rejected it and said his only issue is with gay marriage.

"I was trying to define myself very clearly as opposed to Mr. Cuomo," he said. "Mr. Cuomo took his daughters to a gay pride parade. Is that normal? Would you do it?"



He said at another point that the people in the parade wear "speedos" and added, "I don't think it's proper for them to go there and watch a couple of grown men grind against each other. I don't think that's proper. I think it's disgusting."



He also insisted the press is trying to lampoon him and that polls showing him losing the primary to Rick Lazio were wrong, adding, "The press keeps doing Andrew's work."

UPDATE: He had a bit more to say on Don Imus's radio show, on which he described the physicality of the parade as being like a "strip club.