Sen. Durbin Apologizes for Gitmo Remarks (AP)

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

WASHINGTON - Under fire from Republicans and some fellow Democrats, Sen. Dick Durbin apologized Tuesday for comparing American interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to Nazis and other historically infamous figures.

"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line," the Illinois Democrat said. "To them I extend my heartfelt apologies."

His voice quaking and tears welling in his eyes, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate also apologized to any soldiers who felt insulted by his remarks.

"They're the best. I never, ever intended any disrespect for them," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050621/ap_on_go_co/guantanamo_durbin_3

[Baclava]

1. Wow

Just - wow

[Born Free]

19. Please don't hurt me...

you know that right wing corporate owned media might tell people I am bad...

[earthside]

56. Worse Than an Apology

:grr:

It reminds me of a dog with his head bent down, tail between his legs, submitting to the dominance of the alpha male.

It reminds me of Tom Daschle ... he always had that "Please, don't hurt me" look all the time. Daschle's civility got him what? DEFEATED.

I, too am fed-up with 'inside-the-beltway' Democrats apologizing to the Republicans because they occassionally practice politics and call them "losers" or "radicals" or just tell the truth.

Those of us who want to take our country back have got some big decisions to make. Are we going to support the Democrats "one more time" because they are the alleged opposition party? Or are we going to go out and run for office as Greens or Libertarians or start a REAL party that will fight the Christo-fascist Bushites?

What are we going to do?

:grr:

[indepat]

128. Give a pass to any action that doesn't rise to what the Nazis did,

the whole nine yards worth, is what spineless Dems are expected to do and Durbin fell right in line.

[pokercat999]

155. How about we lock and load....

Not with bullets but with $$ and time. How about a new party Liberal Libertarians. Personal rights unlimited, abolish corporate rights and hold CEO's responsible for corporate actions, any mandates from state or federal gov'ts require corresponding state/fed agency to provide said mandate i.e. auto insurance. How about a MAXIMUM wage law pegged at X times (where x is maybe 5) the minimum wage. How about we nationalize health care based on a military model. How about we rebuild the infrastructure in the US and set aside a few million acres for parks. how about we bring all US troops home from every other country and never allow them outside the US unless CONGRESS declares WAR. How about we give texas back to Mexico....oops maybe that's going a little too far.

[Baclava]

58. Now look what they've done...

They made him cry - are you happy now?

"His voice quaking and tears welling in his eyes"

[VegasWolf]

147. He fuckin cried on TV! What a pansy. nt

[Tesha]

127. And this, friends, is why Democrats will continue to lose.

And this, friends, is why Democrats will continue to lose. Even when
they briefly stand up for what is right, they manage to then snatch
defeat from the jaws of victory.

Trent Lott would *NEVER* have apologized. Jesse Helms would *NEVER*
have apologized. Dick Chenney would have tolde everyone that if they
didn't like it, they could all Fuck Off And Die.

But our guys, they take the bullets for a moment or two and then
apologize for ever having breathed.

Tesha

[VegasWolf]

148. Karl Rove must have donkey pictures of everyone in congress. nt

[saigon68]

150. Another DINO

They are Thugs, Hoodlums and War Criminals

Scum of the worst kind.

Following every order of their Nazi superiors-- no matter how ridiculous or illegal

[pokercat999]

156. Maybe not a DINO just

trying to hold on to a "career" that was never intended to be a "career" for anyone, just a short time job. Term limits solve a lot of problems. One term and you are OUT, FOREVER never another federal post of ANY kind. Them Mr Durbin could state his mind without fear because after all, he would be going home in just a few short years to hopefully earn an honorable living as a drug dealer, 2nd story man or some other much more honorable job as opposed to US Politician.

[Pachamama]

151. I agree w/ you 150% Tesha!

This is precisely why the Dems will not only continue to lose, it is why they will fail in being able to save our country from the talons of this predatory group of people who are destroying it!

Dick Durbin should have stood behind his words and defended them...he should have spewed it right back in the face of the critics and anyone challenging his comments...sure, he would have had to take some heat, but if he had just kept hammering it back at them and calling out publicly THE TRUTH the challenges would have diminished and gone away.

Now, he looks (literally) like a defeated wimpering dog w/ his tail between his legs and you better believe that the GOP machine will be playing this scene in ads challenging him when he runs for office. It will be defeating and humiliating and the worst part is that he won't be able to defend himself even though he was completly correct when he did make his original comments.

If he had stood by and fought back, he'd have ultimately prevailed...now he is just another defeated and humiliated person in the Hall of Shame...right along with clips of Jimmy Swaggart..

Thank Goddess I have an amazing Senator, the amazing Barbara Boxer! In the same situation, even if they were threatening the lives of her kids, she'd be shouting it from the top of the Capital Dome if she had too. (Diane Feinstein I'm not so sure about...)

But in a nutshell - Bad move Durbin....you lost the battle and the War...and the Dems are going to all lose if the keep letting the schoolyard bullys hold them upside down and threaten them. Dems need to be an opposition party....maybe we should all have them take lessons from George Galloway (Britsh MP)on how to speak out when challenged by Right wing Bullshit!

[ixion]

2. sigh

more cave-ins from the supposed opposition. :-(

[KittyWampus]

4. He HAD To, What Did YOU Do To Support Him? Did YOU Email The Media

about Hostettler's little 'comments' yesterday?

[koopie57]

13. I don't think we need to e-mail the media and write letters

everytime a Senator/Representative finds himself in hot water. I should hope they can stand on their own two feet over stupid things like this and we write them over issues. Not this stupid crap!

[OldLeftieLawyer]

23. I agree, absolutely

But, you know, right now, I just give the hell up. I give up. There's nothing that's ever going to hold for the Democrats, and for whatever reason, this fuck in the White House is always going to get his way.

So, we might as well just all bend over like every goddamned Democrat in the House and Senate, grab our ankles, and learn to love it. Because that's all we're going to get, and now, with this latest apostasy, perhaps that's all we deserve.

I've gone beyond enraged. I just fucking give up.

Right now, I'm just glad we live not very far from the Pentagon and White House. When the Big One hits us, we'll never even know it, but at least it'll take out these ratbastards of this so-called administration. That's worth my dying for.

Pass the popcorn.

[koopie57]

36. Dear OldLeftieLawyer

I understand, this was just too much today. Of all the times you made me feel better by your posts and caring words, I feel helpless to say something helpful or soothing right now. But, as always, we will settle down and go back to the daily work of getting this "fuck in the White House" out! And popcorn sounds good, but lets not only get the kitties drunk today, let's me and you kick back a few k?

[OldLeftieLawyer]

77. Well, I wish we could

and you're so kind.

But, tonight, for the first time, I am without hope. Too much has gone so wrong, even in the face of what we all know is true.

This is the first time I see no possibility of redemption. I honestly have never felt this beaten down, as if everything I did in my life added up to nothing, because it will all be systematically dismantled by these bastards.

Without anything gleaming on the horizon, not one emerging leader anywhere - I had a bit of hope for Chuck Hagel, and then along came the emissions bill - I really have given up. In this long life, I am finally worn out.

Thank you for your kind words. They matter more than you can imagine.

[barb162]

91. I felt like this

since Bush won the second term and I still feel this way every damned day. I lost all (as in A-L-L) hope back in November and feel this nation of ours has just totally had it...we're finished...we will never recover from this horseshit going on in our country. Somehow or other I still muddle on and thank my lucky stars I found DU and have liberal friends with whom I can commiserate. Knowing you are not the only one helps a lot.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

94. It does, doesn't it?

Having DU makes a shitload of difference, I know, and I'm thankful.

I thought Kerry would put up a recount fight. I thought the Democrats would be so pissed, they'd coalesce and fight.

Expectations, my Buddhist husband reminds me, are the ultimate confounding.

Still, I've never felt this broken before.

[barb162]

98. The way I am reading your posts here

you are reacting the same way I did for about three days after Bush won. I was almost non-functional and had to actively think that I had to put a key in the ignition to start the darn car. I had to rethink everything I did. I was in a netherworld.

You know what? I am broken and have been that way since November. But somehow I am still ambulatory, can still laugh at a good joke, can still go to a movie to try to get my mind off things like my country is digging its own grave, etc. Every day I see things in the news that we are slipping further and further into the sinkhole, into the quicksand and there's not a damned thing I can do about it.

I swear if it weren't for other liberal people and my cats and some other things, I might have... well you know what I mean. But you can still read a good book, read the great masters, visit Europe,look at the Grand Canyon, etc. They haven't destroyed the world yet. And the flowers still came up this Spring, didn't they?

The Dems keep imploding, keep making giant errors and it is mind-boggling to watch the politics and psychology and tactics of the people in Washington. The Dems haven't learned a damned thing and I think they never will.

I think I understand. So tomorrow I will plant a hibiscus bush and at least make my yard look better and the bees will like it.

[Burried News]

95. You didn't apologize, Durbin did.

The only sure sign we've quit is when we don't come back alive.

[steve2470]

82. I feel for you, I really do

Call me naiive but I have faith that somehow the dam holding the bushco cesspool will break one day and the sleeping silent majority will toss these bastards out. I really really did give up 30 years ago after Watergate and Ford pardoning Nixon. But I'm back. If I can help you regain faith, let me know. Hang in there :-)

[OldLeftieLawyer]

92. There was always a fight during Watergate

From the beginning, there was John Sirica and Archie Cox and the Supreme Court and Eliot Richardson and Bill Ruckelshaus and Peter Rodino and Sam Ervin. There were always men out there to fight for what was right, and that made me - then a young law student - believe in the power of the Constitution, the power of our laws.

There is nothing now. There is no one. That, perhaps more than even the substance of the daily outrages, breaks me down.

There is no one.

Thank you for the generosity of your spirit and your kinds words. After all these years, I've never seen anything like this.

I do not recognize my beloved America.

[barb162]

93. I was around back then too and yes, there were people

like Sirica, Richardson, etal who stood up to the crap and lies. Daniel Ellsburg and so many others. I tend to feel like an alien in my own country these days.

[warrens]

67. Yes, I did

And I emailed Dick too. I said, do NOT apologize. But with Daley attacking him, he made the decision to cut his losses. If you read his speech, he was absolutely right. The right wing excerpted the sound bite they wanted and the media, apart from NPR and PBS, fell right into line.

I have an idea for solving this shit. Make it a journalistic ethics violation to attend any social occasion tossed by a politico, whether it be Sally Quinn or Lynne Cheney or whomever. That is what drives this shit. They use the parties to leak information, and no one other than the Chicago Tribune and the LA Times (both owned by the Trib) have the guts to not fall for it. Actually, now that I think about it, why don't the newspapers chip in and throw parties, so they can't be disinvited for writing a probing article?

Hmmm, I think I on to something here.

[Evergreen Emerald]

69. you have articulated exactly what I am feeling.

I can't take it anymore. Why the hell don't the democrates stand up and say it like it is? What are they afraid of? To apologize is to give legitimacy to the insanity.

Durbin: you disappoint me.

[Meeker Morgan]

5. It's because Daley chewed him out ...

... not the 'pubs.

[MidwestTransplant]

28. Daley is a moron

[iconoclastic cat]

33. Dickie Daley is the biggest DINO to walk the earth.

Durbin should've ignored him, too.

[AngryAmish]

54. Without Daley Durbin is toast

Will not eben will the primary. That is the way it goes in Illinois.

That said, he should never apologize for telling the truth.

[iconoclastic cat]

55. I don't agree. Daley is losing friends over all the scandals.

Jackson might just take him out.

[AngryAmish]

57. One person counts in Illinois politics

Daley and Daley alone. Jackson will never run against him.

[iconoclastic cat]

59. He's hemorraging badly, though.

You never know.

[GettysbergII]

89. Daley is going down in flames in 2007

I'm a lifelong Chicagoan. My wife and I just got back from a 19th Ward fundraiser. This is a meat and potatoes Ward with the roll of the politicians in it sounding like the names could be coming out of a Dublin phone book. And everyone one there wants to get rid of Daley too. It just a matter of finding a name everyone can agree on.

[iconoclastic cat]

138. Yep. Most teachers whom I know view him as a backstabbing bastard.

I would bet that at least half of all teachers in Chicago would easily vote against him, unless the only alternative was Alan Keyes or something.

[GettysbergII]

149. Hey cat, I'd say most teachers and also most cops and firemen also

would vote against Daley in a heartbeat.

[Rich Hunt]

114. oh, nonsense

That is a ridiculous exaggeration.

[barb162]

88. I just can't believe Daley did that today!

[iconoclastic cat]

139. Daley is an autocratic, union-busting sack of DINO crap.

[Pachamama]

152. Daley who? He's only an effing Mayor who shouldn't throw stones at glass

houses while living in one himself!

[KittyWampus]

3. Meanwhile Hostettler Says Dems Demonize Christians & DU'ers Snooze

freaking GOP Rep from Indiana says on the floor that Democrats are at war with Christianity and that we demonize Christians and DU'ers totally ignore it.

No call to action, no letters to the editor, no emails to the mediawhores.

[davidinalameda]

7. he retracted it after a half hour

no story

if Durbin has retracted what he said within 30 minutes of saying it, there wouldn't have been a story either

[KittyWampus]

11. So WHAT? He Didn't Retract The Whole Screed. And Again, So WHAT?

his freaking outrageous comment should just be ignored?

It opened the perfect opportunity to attack the GOP for their extremism.

Edit- I don't think Hostettler was dealt with in strong enough terms. He needs to be CENSURED.

[creeksneakers2]

25. Harry Reid apologized right away for calling Bush a loser.

The Fascists haven't backed of attacking Reid over that for one second.

[KatyaR]

44. It doesn't matter if he retracted it . . .

it's still a story because it was all over the news. People will remember what he said--NOT that he retracted his statements--because what he said to begin with got all the press. Retractions usually get buried somewhere in the back of the news.

I don't understand how we can be warriors one minute and whimpering in the corner the next . . . when are we ever going to stand up to these assholes and not back down? I just don't get it.

[lynne]

71. They will remember HOW he retracted -

- as that will get far more press than what he originally said. Video of him sniffling was all over the evening news. I saw it before I read it and couldn't believe my eyes.

[ElectroPrincess]

9. Bull Shit! Durbin's a big boy - he lost his nerve.

Don't blame DU when our pink tutu Democratic Representatives cave in for it has nothing to do with us.

These Democratic Representatives need to be voted out. The way I feel now, I'll let a republican WIN over a DINO by not voting at all. Why? Because with a republican at least I can see the knives coming at me.

[katty]

52. Agree, he lost it-and now the GOPers will harp on HIS ERROR

and make hay with this!

[VegasWolf]

146. 3rd parties have looking great to me ever since the election. nt

[endarkenment]

6. We never learn. EOM

[koopie57]

8. and with that, he took his crayons and left the building ...

I am so tired of these apologizing democrats. I wish he would have ignored it and if he couldn't have done that then do apologize...I think he should have apologized for the big baby politicians who can't stand the heat of politics and battles of disagreement and need to waste time getting their little poo-poos kissed and coddled. Good Gawd what is wrong with these people! The next time sometimes demands an apology, respond with a simple Blow it out yer ass!

I'm just livid about this and can hardly contain myself!!!

[BillZBubb]

Why Democrats remain losers in national politics,

example number 4,215,679,545,103,720,...

Weak kneed crybabies afraid of their shadows. Fold like a cheap tent.

Some interrogators in Gitmo did behave like Nazis. So, Durbin apologizes for the truth? Sickening.

[confludemocrat]

47. Dem Senators wont take on Bush directly, only verbal contortions

Except Harry Reid. So they get themselves in trouble by trying to hedge and equivocate and nuance something that should be attacked full frontally: the Bush criminal enterprize. Speak directly, don't make oblique references to what he has produced by being the ringleader of the most disgusting usurpation of decency and democracy ever seen in this nation. Go after the filthy bastard directly. Before he has someone do it to you.

[DemNoir]

10. Who cares...

Outside of a very small minority of political geeks that go to places like this, nobody will know about this or care much.

[wakeme2008]

12. Just like Newsweek

Next week more and more shit will come out about Gitmo and Durbin will be shown to be right... But it is TOO late.

[villager]

14. my letter to Durbin:

Senator:

Why in hell did you apologize for your remarks about Gitmo? This is more pitiful, mewling behavior on the part of denatured Senate Democrats.

Do Republicans apologize? Ever? For anything?

Notice who's running the country right now? Who loses elections but still seizes the White House?

It ain't Democrats.

And it will never be, as long as people like you keep caving in to rightwing extremists.

For America,
Villager

[Catrina]

16. I did write to

him to tell him not to apologize, that the Republican noise machine was not big, just loud and there were more of us than of them.

I also wrote to the media and told them to stop lying about he said.

I am sick of this.

Where's Santorum's apology for calling all Democrats Nazis? Why isn't Dean and all the other Dems who didn't support Durbin, screaming as loudly as Frist et al about Santorum's 'Nazi' remark?

Democrats worry more about what freepers think than they do about those of us who support them. I really, really wish Democrats would stop apologizing. Republicans have commit more crimes, told more lies, made the world hate us, not only endangered, but gotten our troops killed, and they get a pass??

Sometimes I just feel like giving up!

[jonnyo]

35. pathetic

I've written durbin multiple times on this issue. His apology was Pathetic.

If he can't stand on his feet and FIGHT these fascists then I can't support him.

The corporate TV networks are having a neocon feeding frenzy with his video of teary eyed weakness. He played right into their hands like he was reading from the GOP playbook.

No mention of dozens upon dozens Liberals and Democrats who are, as a group, and individually called nazis, terrorists, communists, stalinists, traitors, murderers, etc. by neocon senators and congressmen.

[NewJeffCT]

39. And, don't forget Tom DeLay calling the EPA the Gestapo

And, former Sen. Phil Gramm comparing a fucking tax law to the Nazis...

[barb162]

85. when will the Dems ever get it?

How many times do the pugs have to win, how many times do we have to watch the pug tactics and NEVER learn a damn thing?

[wakeme2008]

15. Just email him

and told him to go kiss more Repug asses... :grr:

[u2spirit]

17. I'm sure Frist , Delay and Senator man on dog

will apologize for the Schiavo fiasco anytime. I'm sure Darth Cheney will apologize for saying Fuck off on the senate floor any day now. Unfortunately in this nation it's not good politics to have a conscience.

[zoeb]

18. Durbin ...you need to grow some balls and take a page from

DeLay's book. Ignore the rightwingers cries for apologies and find more and more topics to go after them with like the DSMs. DeLay's only problem was believing exit polls, moral values, and jumping on the Schiavo bandwagon only to fall off when the majority of 'Muricans said that congress should stay out of it.

Christ, DeLay has fallen through the cracks and you idiots are letting him or at least helping him by playing their little whiny ass games. Stop it!!! NOW!!!

Durbin, Dean and all you other stupid, crying, whining libs grow a backbone and never, ever apologize again for speaking the freaking TRUTH!!!!!

:argh:

[u2spirit]

20. excellent point

The Republicans have figured out that if they obfuscate long enough, the media will get bored and move on. Case in point Plame, Delay, Abu Ghraib, etcetera.

[Mad_Dem_X]

111. AMEN!

No apologies for speaking the truth!!!

[Festivito]

21. WAKE UP DU. Durbin DID NOT apologize for his remarks.

"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line," the Illinois Democrat said. "To them I extend my heartfelt apologies."

WAKE UP. Ee apologized because some people (Probably by being raised poorly) believed (probably because they don't know how to THINK) he may have crossed the line. NOT that he DID cross it.

Mr. Ed on "liberal" radio curiously did not have the Durbin quote but TOLD us that Durbin apologized. Then played McCain, TELLING US that Drubin apologized.

HE DIDN'T apologized for what he had said!

[AX10]

26. BULLSHIT! Durbin should have offered NO apology!

"To them I extend my heartfelt apologies." = AN APOLOGY!

Damn It! This is why we loose!

[Festivito]

32. Bullshit back at you. We lose becuase we let them sum the message.

They carefully misquote and mis-summarize and we don't correct it.

You are the one saying he apologized and without including the subject of what he apologized the subject of the apology becomes what he had asid and not what he just now said.

You are saying he apologized, and reinforcing that he apologized -- FOR HIS PRIOR STATEMENTS -- YOU. STOP THAT. READ THE APOLOGY. IT'S NOT APOLOGIZING FOR HIS PRIOR STATEMENTS.

[Doctor_J]

86. We don't let them sum the message

they own the media. We have NO media presence whatsover. If we did, Cheney's FUCK YOURSELF" would've been big news.

[u2spirit]

34. Regardless of what you call it Festivito

It is being spun as an apology. If he had kept his mouth shut, or better yet stood his ground and said that Bush should apologize for putting us in this mess in the first place, he would have shown a spine. I'm sick of capitulating to Republicans. I'm absolutely sick of it. How can we, the base fight if our leaders continue to shit on us every time the republicans yell BOO!

[Festivito]

41. It IS an apology. The SUBJECT is what they are spinning. SPIN BACK!

It's not just being spun as one. It is being spun as an apology about the prior statements. It's an apology that too many people weren't stable enough to hear the report that was made.

When talking with people remind them that the press is not left-wing.

[TankLV]

38. Read it any way YOU want to, but the fact is that he APOLOGIZED!

YOU might refuse to see it, but he APOLOGIZED.

I read and re-read his remarks. Any way you look at it, it's an APOLOGY.

He should have grown some balls and kept his mouth shut or kept fighting!

The repukes NEVER give up or apologize!

[Festivito]

42. What is the SUBJECT of the apology? The SUBJECT, the subject?

LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK LOOK.

[TankLV]

79. I did. And am REMINDED that it is an APOLOGY!

Nice try, tho.

[MODemocrat]

137. Mike Malloy played the clip on his show last night

It sure sounded like an apology to me. It was disgusting for him to sob.
He should not have retracted one word he said, as it was all true. This abuse needs to stop. The fascists just made a scapegoat out of Durbin to make it seem as though they are victims. :puke: :puke: :nopity: :nopity:
I'm glad Howard Dean isn't afraid of his shadow, and sincerely hope he continues to give the republicans what they deserve on a daily basis.

[The Stranger]

22. PATHETIC. DISGRACEFUL. The first rule in politics is never apologize.

Especially do not apologize for telling the truth.

Durbin should resign his leadership position. He is not a fighter, and we need someone who will fight for us. Utterly disgraceful. Cut him loose. He is not with us.

Step to the back of the line, Durbin -- you are a disgrace for "apologizing."

[u2spirit]

24. Unfortunately

Only Barbara Boxer and ocassionally Ted Kennedy show any balls. Durbin is one of the least bad Senators we have. Do you expect either version of Joementum or Kerry to stand up. You'd better pack a lunch.

[The Stranger]

27. I'd rather starve at this point.

No matter how long it takes, we must clean house.

[katty]

53. ABSOLUTELY-DO NOT APOLOGIZE! Dick was spot on!

[struggle4progress]

29. Fox's Angle distorted Durbin's Guantánamo comments

Fox News chief Washington correspondent Jim Angle cited an unnamed "knowledgeable official" to wrongly dispute Sen. Richard J. Durbin's (D-IL) statement that FBI emails concerning apparent detainee abuse at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, describe the treatment as "torture." In fact, though Angle insisted that his source was "familiar" with the emails Durbin cited, the emails themselves are publicly available, and one such email does use the term "torture techniques" to describe interrogation techniques used at Guantánamo. <snip>

http://mediamatters.org/items/200506170005

[tex-wyo-dem]

30. Crap...the beast has been fed...

Dean and Pelosi better not make it a meal.

[FlemingsGhost]

31. But at least Dean addressed Cheney's mother comment.

WTF?

Yeah ... those election victories will be sweet, won't they?

// Incredibly heavy sarcasm. Like, the two-ton industrial kind. //

[TankLV]

37. Crap! Another looser.

Backtrack.

Again.

Give in.

Don't fight.

Again.

It is so freekin sad.

We have NO fighters. NONE!

I was with him when he spoke the TRUTH - but goddamn it - somebody got to him AGAIN.

If these spineless dems aren't retired soon, we might as well ALL give up - I've been fighting for too long - it's like pushing a rope.

What the fuck is WRONG with these people!

They are more afraid of losing the next election than fighting the good fight and standing for what is RIGHT!

I am so sick and tire of this GAME they are PLAYING.

It's just not fucking serious enought for them.

[Itsthetruth]

65. They Are Not Afraid Of Losing An Election

"They are more afraid of losing the next election than fighting the good fight and standing for what is RIGHT!"

If they "lose" an election what have they lost? Most go on to very regarding careers in the "private sector" after an election "loss". In fact, many Democrats and Republicans get involved in politics to further their corporate ambitions. That's what politics is all about for most. It's a road to personal enrichment. So you sure don't want to make any corporate enemies or show too much disrespect for corporate Republicans.

[TankLV]

78. Good point. Point taken.

I'd forgotten about that one.

[iconoclastic cat]

40. I just emailed the DNC. I said, "You want my money? Stop apologizing for

doing what we pay you to do: beating the Republicans by telling the truth about them!"

[Mr.Green93]

43. Why?

Just why?

[lateo]

45. To quote Cheney.

Go fuck yourself Durbin.

[Guaranteed]

46. A small glimpse of leadership, and then another collapse.

Damn.

Democrats just need some cobbles. I'm sick of this.

[meti57b]

48. for the time being, figure out what to say and what not to say in advance.

None of this had to happen.

[Lecky]

49. Lots of drama over nothing

Let's focus on the real issues, not this fake news story created by the fascist torture-lovers of America.

We are just as guilty for falling for this lame diversion tactic. I'm not thrilled by Durbin "apologizing", but to sit here and trash the man is what republicans want us to do as long as we don't call them out on any of their bullshit.

I see a bunch of republicans in panic, and they damn well should be. This is all they have now, to bash democrats in any way possible. They don't have truth on their side so they resort to playground behavior. It's a party of bullies, and we let them get away with it by bashing our own.

Focus your energy on the real emergency, republicans seem to be doing their best to drive this country into the ground. Most of them arrogantly have no idea the damage that they have done. They don't want to know either. They don't want to hear the truth, they just want to crush any opposition that's in their way. By bashing good men like Durbin, we are just enabling them.

Don't fall for it.

[Imalittleteapot]

62. Agreed.

Let's no loose our heads. It's part of their plan!!!

[il_lilac]

90. Agree

Repugs only defense right now is to have us eat our own. Yes, I wrote him and asked him not to apologize. I will write him again with my dissappointment. But he is one of the few trying to call this administration on their bullshit. I will continue to support his efforts there and let him know when I disagree.

[Pachamama]

154. Maybe if Dems stopped bending over, the Fake News wouldn't have any story

to focus on!

Durbin, like so many other dems had the opportunity to be a leader and fight...instead he fell flat on his face and CRIED! The media might be covering it, but Durbin created it....

[CityDem]

50. Another one caves

Regardless of what some have argued, the story will be that Durbin "apologized" for his earlier remarks. You can parse the words all you want, but the media will portray this as an apology. Durbin held out for almost a week before hiding behind his mom's skirt. It makes me sick to hear the number 2 dem in the Senate apologize to the people who support torture at Gitmo. Durbin was correct in his earlier comments and should have come out today and stood behind his earlier remarks. Screw the repubs asking for an apology -- Durbin should stood on the steps of the capitol and told the repubs to buzz off. Instead, he blubbered like a preschooler who fell down and skinned his knee. It makes me sick to be lead by such spineless, whimpering eunuchs.

[Lecky]

60. I just wish we would express our disgust with our real enemies

This issue won't even matter next week. I'm sure its really easy to say what we would do in Durbin's position...truth is, we don't know how we'd handle it. By bashing him even further we help the republicans even more.

[katty]

51. Did Karl threaten his family?! Although there is deep emotion

concerning this issue(and there should be)Dick Durbin should NOT (nor any other dem/progressive)be seen crying or made to cry in public - this is exactly what we don't need right now-the Dems must show strength and righteous ANGER-not tears in public!
-We should see tears of military families in public
We ALL WANT TO CRY, America and Iraq are in a festering, horrid situation, but the bush crowd plays dirty and plays for keeps and we MUST STAY RESOLUTE.

[lovuian]

61. Dick Durbin is Right on here!!! Guantanomo is an embarassment

and these men want him to APOLOGIZE!!! OMG!!! PLEASE!!!

[truthisfreedom]

63. ignore this.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

64. And who is the democrat with the largest set of balls?

The lady who stands five foot tall.
Oh Barbara, please run for president...we'll provide you with stones for your slingshot!

[Beetwasher]

66. GITMO=NAZI'S

I'm ok w/ this. Catapaults the propoganda.

[BattyDem]

68. I give up!

The Dems are never going to stand up for themselves ... or us. They are too f*cking afraid of getting bad press! They refuse to make noise when a Repug lies or says something hateful! Most of them STILL insist on saying Bush "misled" us, instead of saying BUSH LIED!

I thought Durbin was one of the strong ones who actually believed in the things he said and was willing to fight for his convictions. Silly me. :eyes:

Once again, they let the Repugs frame the debate. Durbin criticized the treatment of the prisoners and any idiot knows that the troops are not the ones who decide what treatment will be used - they take their orders from the top and that's exactly what Durbin SHOULD have said today instead of apologizing for speaking the truth.

Another Dem bends over ... they don't stand for anything!

Mark my words - Bolton's going to get confirmed! :grr:

[KAZ]

70. We hit every stinckin poll....

... and they went our way, big time. Still we get this. What are we supposed to do?

[BattyDem]

73. I don't know what to do.

We're pretty much on our own out here (with the exception of Conyers, Boxer and a handful of others). We have no representation in Washington. We have no voice. :-(

[KAZ]

74. Well I sent Mr. D an email...

...asking why. I try to understandand the grand plan, but most times it seems like... they set us up for it. How do we defend someone when, in the back of our minds, we know they're going to throw us over?

[BattyDem]

76. The Dems are starting to make me feel like ...

an abused spouse. They keep making promises and I believe them. A problem arises and I convince myself that "things will be different this time" - but as always, I end up battered and bruised. :cry: :grr:

[CBHagman]

72. Anyone got Daley's e-mail address?

Durbin ought to have told every worthless Republican (and God knows there are legions of them) to insert their request for an apology right up their homophobic, selfish, billionaire-coddling, Mammon-worshipping, warmongering asses.

[nine30]

75. Durbin apologizes for Nothing !!

I retract his apology on his behalf !!

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

80. Mike Malloy, furious over the apology, right now on AAR:

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God..." Malloy's not happy about it.

http://www.airamericaradio.com/malloy.htm

[Justitia]

81. Goddammit. That was a mistake. Durbin just bared his jugular. -eom

[yojon]

83. Bet they sent him photos of Paul Wellstone

I'm sure he got the message...

[justice4all_1]

84. If a person is going to apologize he should do it quickly

Sen. Dick Durbin's big mistake was in dragging this whole thing out. If a person is going to apologize he should try to get it over quickly and get on to other issues.

[barb162]

87. party leaders have completely lost their spines

and their brains. We will lose 2006, 2008....

[spacelady]

96. Our Leaders (the ones who were elected by us) and all the TRUE

journalists out there need to stop backing down in the face of opposition. From Newsweek to Dan Rather, to Durbin, to Dean, to Kerry, etc. ad nauseum...for the sake of Democracy Godamnit just quit kowtowing whenever someone just says they are DEMANDING an apology OR ELSE! Else what? STICK BY YOUR GUNS FOR ONCE. Bullies WILL shut up when you are resolute about your convictions, so LET THEM STAND.

[Carolab]

97. We could start a petition: WE do not apologize! n/t

[Erika]

99. We don't apologize

Yeah, I like that. Except it's cheap and plastic and Republican.

[Carolab]

100. Not if you look at it right.

i.e., as in we don't apologize for what we believe in.

We believe Gitmo is a torture camp.

[Barkley]

105. Bingo Carolab: 'No apologies for the truth'

[Carolab]

106. RIGHT! And that's JUST what my paper the Star Tribune says too!

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5467045.html

It's not too late, as Durbin said of Bush in his speech: The senator should stop apologizing and keep up the criticism of the hellhole America's military has created at Guantanamo. He has no reason to be defensive; he's telling the truth. It's a truth Americans need to hear, and its tellers must resist intimidation.

To read it all: use demomaniac for both user and password (courtesy of DU poster moobu2)

[bling bling]

101. My heart sank when I read this.

I wrote Durbin last week and begged him to NOT apologize. I know that others here did the same.

The Dem's don't listen to us, apparently. They listen to the Repubs, though, and do whatever the Repubs ask them to do.

I've been saying since the election that I have about a speck of hope left for the Dem's anymore and that speck is flickering out too.

At this point, I'm starting to think that it's MORE LIKELY that a couple of strong-minded Republicans will defect from the party-line, stand up to Bush, and help get the country out of this mess than for the Dem's to grow a spine and do anything about it. I hope I'm wrong but I kinda don't think so.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

102. It's actions like this that make me despair that the Democratic Party can

be any useful vehicle of opposition against the shrubco machine.

He said something that was RIGHT. He didn't HAVE to retract it and make a spectacle like this.

Now as a result of this "apology", the "official line" on this will henceforth be that Durbin made some outrageous statements that he had to apologize for, and apologize he did. The actual merit of what he had to say is COMPLETELY LOST in this aftermath.

Just effing GREAT.

[lumpy]

103. Mayor Daley sez:

" I think it's a disgrace to say that any man or woman in the military would act like that.".... Well, Mr Daley, the truth is some of those men and women acted like that(nazis). We've seen and heard some of the evidence and perhaps more to come. Denial of the truth is killing the integrity of this country.

[Erika]

104. The torture techniques were approved by this administration!

Our good soldiers were only following orders.

I have contacted both Durbin and the DNC and expresses my utmost disappointment for this apology. But at least Durbin said that if any of our troops were offended, he regretted the remarks.

He, instead, should have hit on the Bush administration for approving those techniques. I can only wonder about the type of pressure this dirty administration put on him and his family.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

107. Clue: Any Use of Nazi Imagery Where 6 MM People Have Not Been Murdered

Will absolutely backfire. Democrats and Republicans have both stumbled on this. All the nonsense about prophetic warnings and standing your ground are exactly that: nonsense. The use of the imagery completely drowns out your point and you will end up either apologizing or marginalized.

DTH

[Karenina]

115. That means "Never Again"

is dead in the water with you lot. Gee, what does "fix" mean??? :crazy:

[Cicero]

108. kick (nt)

[underpants]

109. His loks into the camera were a very good idea

it sold the apology "to those who were offended"

[Triana]

110. WRONG! He shouldn't have done that...

...NO apologies. He stated the TRUTH. Republicans scream every time anyone states the TRUTH. They scream every time Howard Dean does it. They screamed when Durbin did it. They screamed when Newsweek did it. They screamed when Dan Rather did it. Stating the TRUTH does not harm the troops.

Durbin should have simply said: "I will not apologize for stating the truth on the matter"

PERIOD.

Goddamit! Jellyfish Democrats.

[QuettaKid]

113. Let's cut him a little slack......imagine this scenario.

Maybe some goons from the gubmint came by and showed him a video of Wellstone's plane plummeting to earth....cut to a shot of the same goons standing on the ground with their EMF weapons. You are deluding yourself if you don't think the BFEE plays to win.

""Fetzer also noted that Wellstone's plane was "exceptional, the pilots well-qualified, and the weather posed no significant problems." He wrote that "we have to consider other, less palatable, alternatives, such as small bombs, gas canisters or electromagnetic pulse, radio frequency or High Energy Radio Frequency weapons designed to overwhelm electrical circuitry with an intense electromagnetic field. An abrupt cessation of communication between the plane and the tower took place at about 10:18 a.m., the same time an odd cell phone phenomenon occurred with a driver in the immediate vicinity. This suggests to me the most likely explanation is that one of our new electromagnetic weapons was employed""

http://opednews.com/thoreau1203_wellstone_assassinated.htm

[Triana]

134. Unfortunately...

...I can easily imagine just that scenario. The thugs would stop at NOTHING and I wouldn't put this past them for a millisecond.

[indepat]

112. What can they be compared to?

[The Stranger]

116. I'M DONATING TO DURBIN'S PRIMARY OPPONENTS.

CUT HIM LOOSE. HE DOES NOT STAND FOR US.

[Rich Hunt]

144. my, my

You're awfully picky. Do you know anything about this man, who has served Illinois well?

Personally, I judge candidates by their voting records. I guess some people would rather see this fine senator go and take a chance on an unknown.

All I can say is, hmmmmmm.......

[Tweed]

117. Durbin yields to onslaught, apologizes in full

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0506220275jun22,1,1195477.story?coll=chi-news-hed

'WASHINGTON -- His voice choking, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois took to the Senate floor Tuesday and explicitly offered "heartfelt apologies" for comparing America's treatment of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center to the atrocities of the Nazis, Soviets and other murderous regimes.

The apology came after a week of drumbeat criticism against Durbin, the assistant Democratic leader, from the White House, from Republican senators, from conservative activists and, finally, from Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, a fellow Democrat.

And Durbin's own halting efforts at contrition had seemed to only stoke more criticism until his mea culpa Tuesday.

"I'm sorry if anything that I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust, the greatest moral tragedy of our time," Durbin said as his voice trembled. "Nothing, nothing should ever be said to demean or diminish that moral tragedy. I'm also sorry if anything I said in any way cast a negative light on our fine men and women in the military."

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, also took to the floor, accepting Durbin's offering.'

[Tweed]

118. In the Illinois Forum too

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=150x8123

Go here for a local flavor.

[iconoclastic cat]

119. Oh, for crap's sake.

[Lerkfish]

120. In other news, I'm apologizing tomorrow for saying the sky is blue.

film at 11.

[marmar]

122. LOL.

Did Bush ever apologize for "Bring 'em on"?
Haven't Repugs repeatedly compared abortion doctors to Nazis?
This is such B.S.!!!

[mike_c]

121. this is what happens when invertebrates try to imitate a spine....

:puke:

[old blue]

123. Notice the article omits the contents of the FBI email

[Soloflecks]

124. Maybe this is why he apologized:

http://www.rjchq.org/news.asp?FormMode=Detail&id=886

ACTION ALERT: RJC asks members to call Senator Durbin

Contact: Executive Director Matthew Brooks
Friday, June 17, 2005

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) should retract and apologize for remarks he made on the Senate floor on June 14th comparing American treatment of enemy combatants held at Guantanamo Bay with what was done "by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others."

Once again, a Democratic leader has misused the memory of Nazi atrocities to make a political point. It is unacceptable and it is deeply distressing that Senator Durbin refuses to apologize for his outrageous remarks.

The RJC agrees with the Anti-Defamation League, which wrote to Senator Durbin that "it is inappropriate and insensitive to suggest that actions by American troops in any way resemble actions taken by Nazis in their treatment of prisoners. Suggesting some kind of equivalence between their interrogation tactics demonstrates a profound lack of understanding about the horrors that Hitler and his regime actually perpetrated."

[nolabels]

132. Sort of like that teenage girl who accidently gets pregnant twice

In other news:

Salem gets Bewitched statue



SALEM, Mass. (AP) - Not everyone was enchanted when officials unveiled a statue of the actress who played Samantha Stephens on the 1960s television show Bewitched in this city known for its witch trials several centuries ago.

Hundreds turned out last week to see the 2.7-metre-tall bronze statue of late actress Elizabeth Montgomery.

But some say the statue trivializes the tragic events that occurred in Salem in 1692, when 20 people were put to death after being accused of witchcraft. Critics say the statue is nothing but an ad for the Bewitched movie, starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell, which is set to be released this month.

Others, including the mayor and some city councillors, welcomed the statue as harmless fun in a place that has long made money playing off the witch hysteria
(snip)
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2005/06/18/1094419-ap.html


http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/repository.htm

[bluestateguy]

125. He just did even more damage to himself

Nothing he says or does will appease the right wing war hawks and neoconservatives, but he did frustrate his supporters who defended him and are now left holding the bag.

Fortunately he is not up until 2008, so I expect this will pass by then.

[Tamyrlin79]

126. Will someone PLEASE elect me Senator...

So that I can go to the Senate floor, call the fuckers fucking nazis and refuse to apologize? And when they get all uppity and demanding an apology, give them a nice view of my middle finger? And then go on all the talk shows and say it all over again to every media outlet who'll listen?

Jeez.

[madrchsod]

129. this is the biggest pile of bullshit

that i have read in awhile here. durbin did what? am truly amazed that people can not read or have never rewritten or rethought what they have written or said to ---clarify----what they meant.
well i have the duty to vote for him again..my duty? yes. i believe he is an honorable man from this great state of illinois. he`s from a long line of great men from this state who cared about this country. he is one of the few senators that have spoken out--i suggest that people look at their own states and see what their senators are doing to stop the insanity.

[Rich Hunt]

145. thank you

I can't believe how petty people are being. Do they even live in Illinois?

Why is Durbin the scapegoat here? He voted against the Iraq war and still won with a healthy majority.

Clean up your own states and butt out.

[DemsUnite]

130. Durbin was wrong at the start

Criticizing the administration for the Gitmo situation is right on. But dragging in 'Nazi' rhetoric made Durbin himself the issue.

[ckramer]

131. From now on, any democrats who try to apologize publically

should go through Howard Dean first.

Howard, call on these democrats! Ask them stop saying sorry for something they said. If their messages haven't gone through their thin skull before coming out their mouth then tell them shut up in the first place.

Republicans play democrats like a monkey.

Idiots.

[Ambrose]

133. Torn by my Senator

Durbin is my senator, and I like him. He has done really good things for Illinois. Having said that, I was a bit shocked when he made the remarks in the first place and even more shocked when he apologized.

First, I agree with his comments but he could have driven the point home just as forcefully without making the comparison with Nazis. Because regardless of how badly we are becoming in GITMO, it isn't like we are rounding up people and gassing them (as far as I know). His point that Americans should stand for something better than torturing and suspending an accused rights is dead on accurate. No administration I'm aware of has done anything as bad as the Nazi's (with the possible exception of Andrew Jackson).

However, if Durbin had the balls to make such a comparison he should have had the conviction to stand up for what he believes. So, in that I agree with the others here. Knowing Durbin though it is possible that he truly regrets that part of his speech. I think he could have been much more eloquent in his apology...making it clear that he regrets the comparison but not the conclusion.

IMHO :)

[pcgtrek_05]

135. "Sen. Durbin Apologizes for Gitmo Remarks (AP)"

A Few Good Men (1995)
Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Jessep: You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

That, people, IS what it's REALLY about...

[DrZeeLit]

140. Welcome to DU. But, as I recall, Jessep was guilty. Thank god for LAWS.

Which, although not perfect, are meant to PROTECT all of us.
You probably ought to post the end of that movie.
OH, and it's a MOVIE.

I don't find a lot to emulate either in that speech or in the character of anyone who would denigrate the Constitution in support of a misaligned, twisted personal code. Not of honor.

And I know plenty of Marines who don't agree with it either.

[derby378]

136. He wimped out

Boy I wish we could clone Howard Dean sometimes...

[BlueStater]

141. This is precisely why the Democrats keep losing elections

They're afraid to speak their minds and cower under Republicans. Why the fuck did Durbin apologize for? He spoke the truth. He should not make brash statements like the one he did unless he intends to stick by them.

Apologizing made him look extremely weak. And don't even get me started on the crying. "ugh"

[Dr Fate]

142. Will DEMS ever learn? Ever? He cant talk about the DSM, but can apologize?

I would have said- "I apologize that Bush refuses to answer the questions put forth to him by the Conyers hearing. I apologize that Republicans have no respect for openess or free speech."

[Piperay]

143. I just about puked when

I heard him apologize like some whipped dog. :banghead: The spineless gutless Democrats make me sick, the only one with any guts is Dean and they are trying as hard as they can to whip him into submission like they have done the rest of them. :grr:

[Nostradamus]

153. Joe Stalin apologises to Jews for crushing Hitler