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Friday, November 03, 2006
Rich Galen :: Townhall.com Columnist
Botched apology
by Rich Galen
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  • Here's the Merriam-Webster Unabridged entry for "Botch:"

    • Main Entry: botch

    Function:transitive verb

    Inflected Form(s): -ed/-ing/-es

    Etymology: Middle English bocchen

    To make a mess of through clumsiness, stupidity, or lack of ability : foul up hopelessly : BUNGLE, SPOIL, RUIN

  • Who uses the word "botched" in regular conversation, anyway? Kerry, probably: "Theresa, m'dear, please sack the butler. He appears to have botched the martinis again."

  • Kerry's statement, and his refusal to admit he had said anything wrong, was so astonishingly … John Kerry, that even the Popular Press had trouble pretending the GOP was overreacting.

  • Not Kerry, though. His tortured non-apology was issued as a printed statement, instead of him saying it in front of reporters:

    • "I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform …"

  • Which is perilously close to a botched apology because a close reading shows Kerry regrets the misinterpretation of his words … as opposed to apologizing for his actual words which he actually spoke.

  • According to the CNN coverage of the Kerry issue, when asked why every candidate in the solar system for whom he had been planning to appear had suddenly developed scheduling conflicts, his office said the cancellations were necessary to prevent,

    • "[T]he Republican hate machine to use Democratic candidates as their proxies in their distorted spin war in which once again they're willing to exploit brave American troops."

  • Ohhhhh Kaaaaayyyy, then. That should put this whole thing to rest.

  • As usual, the central point has been missed. Kerry's botched joke and botched apology will not be the drivers in Tuesday's election, any more than Mark Foley's botched morality will be.

  • What one has already become, and the other very likely will become, are symbols of larger and more important issues.
    • Continued...
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    About The Author

    Rich Galen has been a press secretary to Dan Quayle and Newt Gingrich. Rich Galen currently works as a journalist and writes at Mullings.com

    Be the first to read Rich Galen's column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox.

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    (34 comments so Far)
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    Reply # 1
    Date: Nov 5, 2006 - 3:34 PM EST
    DavidMac
    You're right the FNC mentions the military papers' editorials -- just barely -- just enough to say, "we did so report it."
    Editorials and viewpoints from military papers speak volumes about this ill-conceived war, its architects, and its perpetrators. And your cutesy, juvenile references to fellow Americans of a different persuasion than yours as "socialist" is plain old tiresome. Whether you like it or not, there are always two sides to every story, question, debate, etc. That's something the majority on this site needs to learn.
    Flag as Offensive

    Reply # 2
    Date: Nov 5, 2006 - 3:16 PM EST
    DavidMac: My BS detector is going off...
    DAVIDMAC: Everything I posted is factual, not spun. You can cite/quote all the leftist general officers you can find. I, in turn, could quote all the right-wing generals I could find.

    LINDA: So we are to believe that everyone who disagrees with how the Iraq war is being conducted and keeping Rumsfeld is far left/socialist, the military is harboring a bunch of far left/socialist generals, the Bush administration is heading up its pentagon advisors with far left/socialists among them. My guess is that Richard Armitage is going to be pretty surprised to find out what he is.

    Your logic means that the GOP is pouring money into the race of Michael Steele (R)in Maryland to put a far left/socialist into office - and financing Senator DeWine (R) of Ohio to keep a far leftist/ socialist walking the halls of Congress.

    And according to your logic, there is a growing chorus of far left/socialist Republican leaders out there in the land.

    DAVIDMAC: If you have any combat experience, maybe you'd share it with us.

    LINDA: I don't have to do combat in a war to have common sense. And my BS detector is going off loud and clear on your "far left/socialist" name-calling.
    Flag as Offensive
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