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Durbin Apologizes on Senate Floor for Nazis, Soviet Gulags Remark
CNSNews ^ | 6/21/05 | Melanie Hunter

Posted on 06/21/2005 3:07:32 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), who angered Republicans by comparing the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to Nazis, Soviet gulags, and Pol Pot's killers in Cambodia, apologized on the Senate floor Tuesday.

"Mr. President, I've come to understand that was a poor choice of words," said Durbin. "Last Friday, I tried to make this very clear that I understood that those analogies - the Nazis, Soviets, and others - were poorly chosen. I issued a release, which I thought made my intentions and my innermost feelings as clear as I possibly could," added Durbin.

Durbin's apology comes after Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist called him in a letter to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, to formally apologize on the Senate floor.

"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," Durbin said in his controversial remarks.

Durbin was upset over an FBI memo describing the conditions of the Guantanamo facility, which included prisoners being chained to the floor, bombarded with rock music, and subjected to extreme cold or extreme heat, depending on whether the air conditioner was turned on or off.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 109th; apology; dickinhanddurbin; durbin; news
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1 posted on 06/21/2005 3:07:36 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

Daley called on Dickie Dirtbin to apologize... and Durbin does so the very same day.

At least we know who is pulling Durbin's strings.


2 posted on 06/21/2005 3:09:57 PM PDT by ambrose (.)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

Keep the heat on these jerks. Every time they open their traps we get more campaign footage for the mid-terms.


3 posted on 06/21/2005 3:10:03 PM PDT by Buckeye Battle Cry (Life is too short to go through it clenched of sphincter and void of humor - it's okay to laugh.)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

If that's an apology, than horse-$hit is roast beef.

Too little, too late.


4 posted on 06/21/2005 3:10:16 PM PDT by Ronin (When the fox gnaws.... SMILE!!!)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

WHERE'S THE APOLOGY????????


5 posted on 06/21/2005 3:10:38 PM PDT by BMC1
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

Is that it?


6 posted on 06/21/2005 3:10:46 PM PDT by ecomcon
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
I actually got a return email from my state's Dem. Senator (Bingaman) this morning regarding this.

I was actually surprised that he (or more likely a staffer) bothered to answer, even with this: ..."I understand your concerns, and it is my understanding that Senator Durbin has apologized for his statement.".

Prior to the apology on the Senate floor a few minutes ago, in reference to his earlier "I'm sorry you right wingers are so stupid that you don't understand my brilliance" non-apology apology, I wrote Sen. Bingaman back saying that even if the apology were real, contrite and heartfelt, it still wouldn't un-do the damage that Durban has done.

Kind of like if I robbed a bank... and if I just apologized, I'd get to keep the money and the respect of my community.

I gotta admit, though, that I never get a reply from my GOOD (R.) Senator Domenici's office unless the message was sent with a check.

I've had it with the ENTIRE Senate.

7 posted on 06/21/2005 3:11:10 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

Dude, you can reword it however you want. We know damn well what you meant, and that's the problem. What you really want to say is that you wish you'd kept your true feelings to yourself.


8 posted on 06/21/2005 3:11:33 PM PDT by kezekiel
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
And? .... Where is the apology?

Lott apologized several times and he still got removed.
9 posted on 06/21/2005 3:12:11 PM PDT by garjog
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

Any conservative Senator would have already been thrown out of the house by now. Durbin's second "apology" still isn't good enough.


10 posted on 06/21/2005 3:13:38 PM PDT by SaveTheChief
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To: BMC1

There is none! It's worse that Bubba.


11 posted on 06/21/2005 3:14:57 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection (http://hour9.blogspot.com/)
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To: LegendHasIt
The United States Senate is DEAD!

The real men have left, and what remains are pathetic snobs, who's ONLY concern is the elite NYT editorial page.

Sick bastards.
12 posted on 06/21/2005 3:15:13 PM PDT by roses of sharon (,)
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection
"I've come to understand that was a poor choice of words," said Durbin.

That's no apology. Anything short of saying that his comments last week were outrageous and reprehensible and that he was totally out of line comes up short. ...and in his case, far short.

13 posted on 06/21/2005 3:15:53 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

His words were "poorly chosen." Yeah. His words were calculated to slam President Bush and incite further hateful anti-American sentiments here and abroad in order to make the war effort and everything else the President is doing that much more difficult.

This apology is meaningless. It's given reluctantly and only to lessen the outrage he evidently didn't see coming when he made his treasonous statements.


14 posted on 06/21/2005 3:16:35 PM PDT by fire and forget
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To: PJ-Comix

they're in meltdown mode over at DUmmie Land:

cestpaspossible Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Jun-21-05 06:01 PM
Original message
Poll question: Should Durbin apologize for apologizing?


ElectroPrincess Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Jun-21-05 06:14 PM
Response to Original message
4. I'm disgusted with these gutless Democrats ...


Maybe it is time to go Green.


wtmusic Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue Jun-21-05 06:12 PM
Original message
Does Durbin's apology rule him out as an '08 contender?


Don't know if I could support someone who can't stick to his guns any better than that.


15 posted on 06/21/2005 3:17:22 PM PDT by ambrose (.)
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To: garjog
Good. Lott didn't get a second apology and this statement was a disgrace to ANYONE with half a brain.
16 posted on 06/21/2005 3:17:29 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection (http://hour9.blogspot.com/)
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To: BMC1
WHERE'S THE APOLOGY????????

There is none, of course. But that's not stopping FOX News from reporting it as a "full apology."

17 posted on 06/21/2005 3:17:55 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Tumbleweed_Connection

This is great. Larry Elder is calling for other apologizes. Rangel said this war was as bad as 6 million Jews being killed.


18 posted on 06/21/2005 3:17:55 PM PDT by doug from upland (MOCKING DEMOCRATS 24/7 --- www.rightwingparodies.com)
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To: BMC1

Yeah. Where is it?


19 posted on 06/21/2005 3:18:03 PM PDT by fire and forget
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To: Mr. Mojo

One never reports headlines. Always wait for the story.


20 posted on 06/21/2005 3:19:14 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection (http://hour9.blogspot.com/)
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