PENN PROFESSOR: WHY I APOLOGIZED TO THE BUSH WHITE HOUSE

Philadelphia Daily News ^ | 12/9/2002 | JOHN J. DiIULIO JR.

[egarvue]

It takes a real man to apologize. Real men are hard to find on the Left these days - this guy has my respect for that.

[A_perfect_lady]

I have no idea what all this stems from but I'll be thinking "Don't do a DiIulio" the next time I feel like zipping off a furious e-mail to someone. Anyone.

[tallhappy]

Clymer hacks are never to be trusted.

[Mamzelle]

Consider what a modest flap is a Bush-admin flap! Academic careerist gets foolish with a reporter, and apologizes, and it's actually a big deal. Think about Ron Brown and Vince Foster and gosh...it's nice to worry about something so small...

[dirtboy]

Here's some background:

Former Aide Tones Down Criticism of Bush

[woofie]

ditto

[Cicero]

A very handsome apology, in my opinion. Nothing like this ever came out of the mouth of any of clinton's appointees. His big mistake, of course, was to assume that a newspaper reporter, regardless of how many Pulitzer Prizes he may have won (and in fact that's a very ominous sign to anyone who knows what Pulitzer Prizes are usually given for), would ever give fair treatment to anyone associated with a Republican administration.

I was once in a position of having to talk to a reporter from New York Magazine who was about to publish an article accusing my department of being homophobic, owing to some backstabbing manipulations by one of the deans at our university. I was very conscious that I must not say a single word that could be taken out of context and used maliciously. Thank God, the published article backfired on the dean who initiated it. But what I think we have here is a well-intentioned, honest, but naive professor who thought other people could be expected to be as decent as he is, and that he could trust a "respected" reporter to put his comments in context. What a mistake.

[maica]

"Nor can I blame anyone but myself for completely underestimating how, my self-definition as an independent-minded professor and centrist Democrat policy wonk notwithstanding, my public reflections - even had they been balanced, as I had stupidly assumed they would be, by more knowledgeable and more sympathetic others - were bound to be received entirely as those of an "ex-White House official," and hence to be hyper-newsworthy. "

And another Democrat learns a bit of truth about media bias!!!

[KeyWest]

Well stated. I have had numerous interviews by reporters and know that they will get it wrong in some area, so I know to just let it go. especially since it really means little to anyone except me and will be forgotten by the time the person puts down the paper- if he even reads the article.

Plus, if you contest it, then it is given new life, so let it die. In this case, however, what the Prof did was unusual and admirable, since he took the blame and apologized.

[Valin]

You know what happens when you assume.

[Erasmus]

Yup. You get some ass for u and me.

<>==<)B^)

[Physicist]

To wit: My dad died in my arms in August after a three-year battle with illness. I thought mainly of him on Monday. He always taught me that when you apologize to people, you apologize "with no half-smile, with all your heart, and on your knees, or not at all."

With a dad like that, how'd this guy end up a democrat?

Apologies are an awfully cheap coin these days. It's a pleasure to find one with the full metal weight of contrition inside it.

[Dan Day]

It takes a real man to apologize. Real men are hard to find on the Left these days - this guy has my respect for that.

Indeed. Whatever his politics, this guy has more character than most people we'll ever meet.

[rockfish59]

Kill all the lawyers/reporters!

[BibChr]

He always taught me that when you apologize to people, you apologize "with no half-smile, with all your heart, and on your knees, or not at all."

Wow. Whatever I thought about this guy before, that is extremely well-put. Moving, in fact.

In fact, it's better than I've expressed it to my own kids. Count on them to start hearing some form of it ere long.

Dan

PS -- but I can't help but think, "And this guy is in the same party as BILL CLINTON, the uncontested master of precisely the sort of non-apology 'apology' this man's dad abominated?" Ay, yi yi.

[Dataman]

How can you not forgive someone who owns up like that?

[Kangaroo Court]

It's hard to imagine that this good man with such a father could stomach the back stabbing, hatefulness of the Democratic Party. Mr. DiIulio has done his father proud. I'm wondering how much of the CNN, MSNBC, NYT unbalanced coverage of his statements he saw. He needs to wake up and realize that the media which is 90 per cent Democrats have an agenda and they never let truth or balance stand in the way of their agenda.

[Cacique]

bump

[Freee-dame]

And another Democrat learns a bit of truth about media bias!!!

and posibly taking his first step towards having his eyes opened about the Democratic Party in the year 2002.