How can you be argumentative, unrelenting and unrepentant one day and contrite, humble, and tear-jerking the next? If you are Dick Durbin (or Bill Clinton), you can do that and more…
Sen. Durbin Apologizes for Gitmo Remarks
Under fire from Republicans and some fellow Democrats, Sen. Dick Durbin apologized Tuesday for comparing American interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to Nazis and other historically infamous figures.
“Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line,” the Illinois Democrat said. “To them I extend my heartfelt apologies.”
You should have thought about what you were saying before you said it Dick. You need to control your hatred for Bush, because it makes you say bad things. Because you and your party hate everything this president stands for, you are willing to stand up and make outrageous statements like this. The ‘hate bush, say bad things’ disease is a cancer running wild within the Democratic party. You must lead in an effort to obliterate it.
His voice quaking and tears welling in his eyes, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate also apologized to any soldiers who felt insulted by his remarks.
“They’re the best. I never, ever intended any disrespect for them,” he said.
Oppose Bush, oppose everything he believes in, block all legislation the Republicans bring to the congress, demonstrate against the war, and fling anti-American sentiment, but love the troops. For the life of me, I don’t know how they can pull this off with a straight face.
The apology came a week after Durbin, the Senate minority whip, quoted from an FBI agent’s report describing detainees at the Naval base in a U.S.-controlled portion of Cuba as being chained to the floor without food or water in extreme temperatures.
“If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags or some mad regime — Pol Pot or others — that had no concern for human beings,” the senator said June 14.
The comment created a buzz on the Internet and among conservative talk radio hosts, but Durbin initially refused to apologize.
“This administration should apologize to the American people for abandoning the Geneva Conventions and authorizing torture techniques that put our troops at risk and make Americans less secure,” he said the day after his initial comments.
By last Friday, Durbin was trying to clarify his comments, yet the White House and top Republicans including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist refused to relent. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in an interview scheduled for broadcast Wednesday on Fox News radio’s “The Tony Snow Show,” tried to equate the comment with actress Jane Fonda calling U.S. soldiers war criminals during a visit to North Vietnam in 1972.
On Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley — a fellow Democrat — added his voice to the chorus of criticism, saying, “I think it’s a disgrace to say that any man or woman in the military would act like that.”
Durbin said in his apology: “I made reference to Nazis, to Soviets, and other repressive regimes. Mr. President, I’ve come to understand that’s a very poor choice of words.”
But you still believe in the outrageous claims you made Senator! You just regret that you picked the wrong words. This is the problem with the Democrats. They throw out unsubstantiated claims, use certain words to further flavor those claims, they get in trouble for the words they used, they apologize for the words, but not for the misplaced accusation.
This is no apology. This is covering your butt.
You should (still) be ashamed Senator, and you should resign.