I thought this too, at no point did he say what he did was racist and therefore bad, he just was sorry to offend people. That is a really odd way to react to such negative criticism.
This is an interesting point about appreciating an artist - how far do they have to go to offend your personal morals for you to no longer appreciate their art? I dare say there are not many fans of Gary Glitter & Lost Prophets left, but judging from the comments I've read about Anselmo's actions, there are hunners of apologists for his abhorrent actions.