On Tuesday former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee referred to vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as a “cocky wacko” during a speech at the New America Foundation in Washington. You can see video of the comment here.

Today Chafee, who is supporting Barack Obama, defended the characterization as an accurate description in comments to the Associated Press. The Rhode Island Senator said that he thought Palin’s speech to the Republican National Convention was objectionable and mocking, and that he found it absurd for her to characterize Obama as more interested in protecting the rights of terrorists than capturing them. “I consider that wacky, and certainly her tone was very, very cocky,” said Chafee. “So I thought they were appropriate words.”