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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The CEO of Tennessee's hospitality association is apologizing for sending an e-mail to a group of public figures that compares first lady Michelle Obama to a chimpanzee.

The Tennessean of Nashville reports that Tennessee Hospitality Association CEO Walt Baker's e-mail compares the first lady to Tarzan sidekick Cheeta. At the bottom of the e-mail is a photo of Obama, caught in an awkward moment with her lips pursed, and one of a chimpanzee wearing a similar expression.

Baker apologized in an e-mail to Nashville Metro Council members Saturday saying the message was not intended to be malicious but meant as "political humor."

Also on Saturday, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau said it would drop its contract with Baker's marketing firm.