some awesome quotes

Just finished reading the latest issue of The Week and this week's closer is a collection of "unconvincing apologies" taken from a new book. Some of the clips are too good not to post...

If they required the resignation of all congressmen who have slept with young ladies, you wouldn't have a Congress. -- William Mencarow, press secretary for Rep. Daniel Crane, who got in trouble for sleeping with a 17-year-old female page.

Wow...okay. That guy would probably know, too. But is he really saying anything we didn't already know? (This reminds me of something I read once about how the overall criminal background of Congress as a whole is far worse than that of the average American company. No wonder our country is so screwed up these days.)

The story behind the apology is the draw for this next one:

I made a very unfortunate and insensitive remark. It was the wrong thing to do, and I have no excuse for it. -- Sen. John McCain, apologizing for saying at a Republican fundraiser that the reason Chelsea Clinton is "so ugly" is that "she's the child of Janet Reno and Hillary Clinton."

That's freakin' great! McCain is one of my favorite Republicrats to hate, but I must admit the guy just picked up some of my respect. Everybody has a good side!

It has come to the editor's attention that the Herald-Leader neglected to cover the civil-rights movement. We regret the omission. --The Lexington, Ky., Herald-Leader.

Oh, yeah, sorry about that stuff back there we forgot to cover. No big deal though, it's not like it was a huge part of our history or anything. It wasn't even news back then. But, to the paper's credit, at least it realized the error and apologized. In 2004.