Mitt Romney, Joe Biden Follow Rich Tradition Of Political Apologies

WASHINGTON — It's a sorry list. This week's apologies from Mitt Romney and Joe Biden are just the latest in a colorful history of politicians regretting personal lapses large and small. A few recent notables:

___

MITT ROMNEY: The presumptive Republican nominee regretted a 1965 boarding school incident – he reportedly held down a classmate and cut his longish, bleached hair – while saying he doesn't remember it: "I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks during high school and some may have gone too far. And for that I apologize."

___

JOE BIDEN: The vice president is sorry for speaking out of turn in support of gay marriage. Biden upstaged President Barack Obama and upset White House planning – not cool for the No. 2. He offered Obama his mea culpa privately, according to aides.

___

NEWT GINGRICH: His presidential bid just starting, Gingrich miffed fellow Republicans by calling Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicare proposal "right-wing social engineering." He soon regretted it: "I made a mistake and I called Paul Ryan today, who's a very close personal friend, and I said that."

___

ANTHONY WEINER: He eventually resigned. But first the New York congressman tried getting by with just an apology for sending photos of his underwear-clad crotch to a young woman via Twitter: "My wife is a remarkable woman. She's not responsible for any of this. I apologize to her very deeply."

___

JOHN EDWARDS: The former Democratic presidential candidate regretted spending two years denying that he'd fathered a daughter with his mistress: "It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter and hopefully one day, when she understands, she will forgive me. ... I am truly sorry."

___

ROD BLAGOJEVICH: Facing sentencing for corruption, the former Illinois governor turned tearful: "I caused it all. I'm not blaming anybody. I was the governor, and I should have known better and I am just so incredibly sorry." The judge gave him 14 years.

___

ELIOT SPITZER: The New York governor resigned amid reports he was a regular client of high-priced call girls: "The remorse I feel will always be with me."

___

BILL CLINTON: After at first denying his sexual dalliance with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, the president issued a string of apologies: "I'm having to become quite an expert in this business of asking for forgiveness."

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[monstersfromtheid]

11:04 PM on 05/12/2012

Does anyone else read Mitt's 'Apology' as:
"I bullied and abused so many other kids at school for being different - you can't really expect me to remember one in particular"

Google "Hare Psychopathy Test"
The more we hear the higher his score goes...

[MarcDel]

01:00 PM on 05/12/2012

Putting Joe Biden in this group of "mia clupas" is ridiculous. His apology was not for wrong doing but mis-stepping. His mistake does rise to even an apology. It only deserved a "I should have seen this coming and I'll learn from it".

[Saltio]

12:47 PM on 05/12/2012

Easier to do what you want and then apologize than to ask for permission prior to act. Then, you can do what ever you want.

[Patski2038]

12:26 PM on 05/12/2012

They are only sorry after they have been pinched....

[bookreader451]

12:18 PM on 05/12/2012

Talk about irony Blagojevich is the only one who took real responsibility in his apology and he is in jail.

[Easy123]

01:56 PM on 05/12/2012

Not accepting responsibility until after you are convicted and ready for sentencing might not be considered accepting real responsibility, just sayin'
Some might call it a failed denial, followed by trying to reduce the consequences (sentence)

[Hugo Rabson]

02:15 PM on 05/12/2012

I think that's fitting, not ironic. Restitution is an important part of making up for our mistakes. For every transgressor, there is a victim, and even if the transgressor is sorry, the victim is usually sorrier. Often, in order for both to heal, the one must attempt to make amends with the other. Sometimes, this is not possible or practical; but, where it is, it is morally praiseworthy. Sometimes, the only fitting form of restitution is prison time.

[Stephen Stafford]

12:07 PM on 05/12/2012

Authoress,

Now go and turn this string of incidents into an article that makes sense and has some meaning..

[SueEll]

01:21 PM on 05/12/2012

It would be impossible to turn this into an article that made sense. How, for example, would the mistake that Joe Biden's apologized for even compare to the incident Anthony apologized for? I only bothered to read it to see what on earth the writer was trying to do here -- its ridiculous.

[virpilosus]

12:06 PM on 05/12/2012

WHY is "I'm sorry" considered the all-encompassing panacea for offensive behavior or language? The "I'm sorry" is the only the first half of what must be said...the extremely important second half of "I'm sorry," is "Will you FORGIVE me?" Then the REAL test begins...!

[nkurland]

12:01 PM on 05/12/2012

Why is Biden apologizing for supporting the LGBT community's civil rights?

[Stephen Stafford]

12:09 PM on 05/12/2012

He apologized for jumping the gun. President Obama planned to do so this coming Monday. Biden's comments made him alter his timetable, and was a distraction from the things they had on the radar for this timeframe.

[Mort Adela]

01:06 PM on 05/12/2012

Plus, it's always bad form to upstage your boss.

[OlHippie]

11:19 AM on 05/12/2012

Does anybody believe Joe is really sorry? Cabinet meeting: Joe says, "Mr. President, you need to get on the right side of this." Then the hoard of nameless, souless politicasl advisers say,"Oh, no Mr President, you'll risk motivating the republican base, that might otherwise stay home, to come out and vote against you. It's best to say you position is 'evolving."

As Joe calls David Gregory, he mumbles, "Evolve this."

[Manhattanite]

11:16 AM on 05/12/2012

I'm sick of polticians' crocodile tears.

[clutchkill]

11:03 AM on 05/12/2012

Nice hit piece.

[ponchoparadise]

12:42 PM on 05/12/2012

Clutch
Sorry to bud in on another thread but did Bryce Harper really
blow a kiss at a pitcher after hitting a home run off him ????

[mikesnl]

11:01 AM on 05/12/2012

Joe Biden doesn't have a damn thing to be sorry for. He spoke his mind. Everybody but the Washington press corps recognized that Joe was speaking only for himself. I realize that the AP and other news outlets are titilliated by the chance to use naughty words, but they are mostly infantile anyway. Joe's only sin was revealing that the mind-set of the Obama campaign is running scared -- even though he's a sure thing.

[gvnn688]

11:59 AM on 05/12/2012

What if Vice President Biden comments were also based on making his position known before the president, then would he owe the president an apology? As he stated, it is the president who set policies. President Obama does not appear to be an vindictive person, look who he chose for a VP. Many try to paint this president as lacking character, depth, backbone and yet he demostrates wisdom, charity, kindness, and love. Joe Biden is no-ones push over, is it possible he apologized because he knows his motives were not as pure as you may want to believe. After all, he too is a politician. BTW, I am a fan of Biden and do not think the staff should be dressing down the VP.

[mairs]

10:58 AM on 05/12/2012

Are you kidding me? Trying to put Biden in the same category as those two? What is with you people? Are there any editors back there? Who's running this show?

[Hugo Rabson]

02:17 PM on 05/12/2012

They were all apologies. It doesn't equate their mistakes.

Princess Diana and Mother Teresa died at more-or-less the same time. The Media reported both deaths. That's sort of how reporting works. The same goes with apologies. "Oh, look he apologized. Wow, so did she. There's a lot of apologizing going on this week, ladies and gentlemen."

[allietxtch]

10:58 AM on 05/12/2012

Is Jon Corzine on this list?

[ernestvalerius]

10:55 AM on 05/12/2012

Apology? Mr. Romney has not apologized for the incident he deflects as "hijinks". He feigns ignorance of an assault that would be burned into the memory of all but a sociopath.

[Mort Adela]

12:31 PM on 05/12/2012

Agreed. Holding someone down and cutting off their hair goes way beyond "hijinks" for me. More like assault.

[Hugo Rabson]

02:26 PM on 05/12/2012

It's easy to point at a public figure and gasp in horror at the misdeeds of his or her youth. Instead, to paraphrase Janet Jackson, let's ask what he has done for us lately.

Obsessing over his childhood is unhealthy. Childhood displays of sociopathic traits do not constitute grounds for diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder in an adult. Let's try to focus on his recent behavior, which is a good predictor of future behavior.

[ernestvalerius]

05:01 PM on 05/12/2012

How about a childhood meal of his birth?