Let's Review, Senator Durbin - What Does Apologizing Get You?

"In recent years, liberals have taken the lead in the practice of arguing ad hitlerum."

"THE TEARS OF A CLOWN..."

"Now, I am going to turn my other cheek. Let’s see how long it takes for Sen. Durbin or one of his other liberal friends to blacken my other eye."

"It's important that we don't let Dick Durbin off the hook too quickly."

"Apology not accepted."

"Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) issues the now depressingly familiar, patented non-apology apology..."

"Durbin did a nice job playing it out for as long as he could.  The MSM is complicit in hiding the full story of this outrage..."

"This is more along the lines of, "If you are one of those moronic Red Staters who is too stupid to understand the finely-tuned nuances of my brilliant comparisons, well, I'm sorry (you're such a bunch of imbecilic, neanderthalic right wing-nuts)."
_______

So to answer the question, Sen. Durbin: With these assholes, not a goddamned thing.

Comments

[Cognito]

Durbin should have never have apologized for being right. His word were deliberately taken out of context by the right wing slime machine. Not only is he getting beat up by the blogoshpere, but he is getting it from the Moonie Times and the other usual suspects.

[Mad as Hell]

Sen Durbin did what he felt he had to do. His words that got him into this problem came from his heart, and I'm sure far more than half this nation support him all the way. He also was the only Senator to try and get 2 bills passed to help the employees of United Airlines. He will always be admired for at least trying. This country is so divided, Durbin just needs to know that the decent people stand firmly with him.

[Throwback]

What people fail to realize is how slanted the criticism is Sen. Durbin is and what his statement truly said about Gitmo and the "War on Terror".

He did not call our troops nazis, as those who find solace and cover in over-reaction would assert. He read a quote. He reflected on how sad it is that, if one read that FBI (that is our government , you know) account of the treatment that is occurring there, without attribution, they would naturally think it was from a much more brutal time and regime. He is correct and that is why he is being attacked.

This fact should shock all of us - not for the fabricated reason that it is "calling our troops nazis", but because the type of treatment the account describes, no matter who supports, condones or perpetrates it, is simply unAmerican and violates our long held rules of decency - the rules that made this country the example it was (and is no longer). If this is now acceptable behavior, it means we have become our own enemy, which is unacceptable. We have, in essence and out of fear, abandoned the higher moral ground.

No apology should have been made...instead it should have been noted over and aover by all democrats and progressive that the cricisms were carefully crafted to allow teh adminstration to hide behind the honor of the soldiers. If there are nazis in this system, they sit hidden in the White House and they set the tone and are responsbile for the actions of their subordinates.

[matt]

In situations like this with the GOP thugs, one doesn't apologize. One states the obvious, that they are trying to control speech and take things out of context, and then one goes on the attack and calls them the very names they object to. These people don't understand nuanced speech, they don't understand the spirit of compromise implicit in a representative democracy. They do understand bold brute force and naming the enemy is never wrong.

They are Nazis in every act they do, every bill they sponsor, every act of opposition they seek to criminalize. Bush's grandad supported the Nazis during WWII because he was aligning himself with the family's true beliefs.

[WillRayU, DeLand, Fl.]

As a liberal Democrat I admired Sen. Durbin for standing up to the Bush Administration/Republican Fascists on many occasions. Now that Sen. Durbin has shown a total lack of spine and guts I suppose I was wrong about him. I was also wrong about Sen. Kerry who failed to respond while the Swift Boat Liars smeared him and the men who stood with him during Vietman and the campaign. We need more Democrats like Howard Dean and James Carville and fewer like Durbin and Kerry. I'll take a fighter who lacks nuance and may piss off a few Republicans over a wimp who will roll over under pressure any day.

[Frank Jackson, Dallas, Texas]

Senator Durbin has given the Christo Fascists Zombie Brigade (thanks Air America Radio) more ammo to shoot at thoughtful liberals. We need to take the gloves off and bare knuckle the right wing lying thugs before our weak kneed liberalism lands us in a totally Theocratic Corporatocracy. The rich white folks will be ok- but the middle will catch it in the shorts. Frank Jackson

[yk]

Let's see. People have died because of lies, the rethugs are stealing money from Iraq, they are profiting from high oil prices, they are destroying the social structure of lower and middle income families, they puke on the environment, they are taking away people's civil rights and liberties, and here is Mr. Coward Durbin apologizing to these thugs. Great!

[LAWTON WATSON SPRINGDALE AR]

We've got to find challengers to our own Demo leaders . This is the only way we can instill some backbone .

[Skylark]

Durbin compared torturers to torturers. Republicans sloppily and casually use the Nazi comparison all the time but when the shoe is on the other foot... and fits... they scream like stuck pigs. What else is new?

It's hard to get a Democrat's back when you're afraid he's going to wilt in three or four days.

[Bill Quick]

Well, you know, maybe if he'd actually apologized....

[LAWTON WATSON SPRINGDALE AR]

Just this second received an e-mail from Durbin asking for financial support.

BEFORE "THE APOLOGY" I WOULD HAVE THIRD MORTGAGED THE HOUSE.

Sucker must be printed somewhere on my body where I can't see it.

[Peggy Szymeczek, Goose Creek, SC]

I'm disappointed as well. Like Wes Clark said on Hannity and Colmes, the Repugs have totally focused on the words instead of the actions of our personnel, which are beneath us.

[Roy Thomas]

NEVER apologize to a group of lying, facist thugs (GOP). HUGE mistake. Sorry to hear it. Durbin, I hope at some point in your life you discover what little integrity you have. If you are right winger reading this, in the words of YOUR pimp VP, Go F*** Yourself if you think torture is an American value.

[NBT]

"Go F**k yourself" said the VP and then went on TV and said: "it felt good!" No apology or anything...

Arrogance (the good kind), backbone, and support is what the demos lack and is why they will keep on losing.

It is unfortunate.

[D]

In situations like this with the GOP thugs, one doesn't apologize. One states the obvious, that they are trying to control speech and take things out of context, and then one goes on the attack and calls them the very names they object to.

Damn Straight!
From my oh-so-limited experience deealing with ReichWing hypocrits they really don't like getting a dose of their own medicine back. But that squeal they make when they do, is one of the lovliest sounds ever.
Beautiful....

[DR. BOB MERRITT ISL.FL]

I HOPE ALL OF THE ABOVE HAVE DIRECTLY E-MAILED DURBIN AND THE DNC ON THEIR SENTIMENTS. (I HAVE) THIS WILL HELP THEM FOCUS ON WHAT THEY ARE DEALING WITH IN THE ROVE/BUSH MACHINE. DON'T EVER APOLOGIZE. THEY ATTACK THE MESSENGER, GET HIM TO APOLOGIZE AND DEFLECT AND OBLITERATE THE TRUTHFULNESS OF THE MESSAGE. THEY ARE MASTERS AT THIS. WE NEED TO TURN THE TABLES. FOCUS ON THEIR TACTICS AND STREET FIGHT. GOING FOR THE JUGULAR IS THE ONLY WAY WITH THESE MEALEY MOUTHED PRICKS.

[Amy Anderson,]

I was so proud of the Senator for standing up for truth, and so disappointed that he couldn't sustain his principles. It is indicative of just powerful the extremists in Washington are. On the other hand, he could have just been playing the game. The moderates of both parties have sold their souls for power and money,and it appears he loves money and power more than truth.

Neither party deserve any respect whatsoever, and the best thing the good citizens could do would be to storm the Capitol building.

[phillip]

How could he? I thought that FINALLY a dem. would have the balls to stand up for what was right. Alas again my heart breaks at the pitiful sight of a good man losing his nerve. I guess we will have to wait for hillary.

[Jack]

We must remember that although the members of Congress have their own ideas, their first priority is to keep their jobs . I think that he said what he meant and later he was forced to apoligize. It is kind of coincedence that I always seem to see only Democrats saying sorry. I wonder why the other party rarely does? Hmmmm

[Al Ormsby]

I like most of the blogers think that he should not have apologized. He is being crucified for doing what the right wing fears the most; actually telling the truth. Usually, the more vicious the attack, the more truth there is. Never the less we have to be careful not to demand purity at all times.The message got out and decent people know[whether they admit it or not]that there was all too much truth to it. Remember, Gailo also recanted, but what is remembered is the message he got out.-- Al O

[Patrick]

Why is Howard Dean and the congress more upset about Durbin's comment than about the treatment of these detainees?

[crabapple]

I wrote Sen Boxer and told her I wished Sen Durbin had instead come to the floor and read all the Republican quotes comparing Dems to fascists and Nazis and Hitler and had run the ad on the floor of the Senate that they ran to beat Max Cleland morphing Osama into Max or the other way around.

It really doesn't matter what Dems say, the real fascists will re-write it to slam them anyway, just as they cut and pasted intelligence to go to war, re-wrote research on global warming, re-wrote research on effects of cattle grazing on the environment and on and on and on.

I agree with all those above. NEVER apologize for mistakes not made.

[mr natural]

We should close Gitmo and let these peaceloving detainees come to America and live in harmony with us. I welcome our Islamic brothers.

[geoff walker, phoenix]

without question, the host of this site should email the entire array of comments to durbin's office. speaking for myself, i did a U-turn on durbin, cheering him for what he had the courage to say on the floor (obvious though it has been for so long) and booing him when he caved to the disingenuous manipulations of the repugs and issued his mealy-mouthed apologies. what an abject coward! since when does one apologize to anyone for saying something so entirely correct and critically important? do that and you forever debase your own currency and, sadly, that's exactly what durbin has done. he now represents scant improvement over the congressional thugs that worked him over on this, because he has ceded the moral high ground. a miss is as good as a mile in this arena. give it up, dick. you're done. give up your seat to someone with the courage of one's convictions, i.e. spine, because you don't have it.

So whats to be pissed off about? durban didn't mean a word of the apology. We know how he really feels. He never would have apologized if he weren't under a lot of pressure form democrats....