Liz Trotta 'Apologizes' on Fox for 'Joke' About Killing Obama

A day after she had referred to Barack Obama as "Osama' and quipped that both of them should get bumped off, Fox News contributor Liz Trotta was given an opportunity today to offer a "clarification," as host Bill Hemmer put it.

After talking for a couple of minutes about Hillary Clinton's own "backtracking" on her comment about the Robert F. Kennedy assassination on Friday, Hemmer noted that "some people" were "criticizing you" for her Osama/Obama remark on Sunday.

Trotta said she was sorry, while also suggesting her remark was nothing particularly unusual or awful in this campaign year.

She said, " Oh yes, I am so sorry about what happened yesterday and the lame attempt at humor. I fell all over myself, making it appear that I wished Barack Obama harm or any other candidate, for that matter, and I sincerely regret it and apologize to anybody I have offended. It is a very colorful political season"-- she chuckled at this point--"and many of us are making mistakes and saying things we wish we had not said."

Hemmer replied: "Clarification noted."

Appearing on Fox News on Sunday, Trotta, a former editor with the Washington Times and broadcast TV journalist, was asked by the host, Eric Shawn, about the Clinton controversy and the 2008 race. This led Trotta to refer to the Clinton misstep.

Trotta, according to the now widely-circulated video, replied, "And now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama, uh Obama. Well, both, if we could." She laughed.

The host, Shawn, clearly understanding how far she had gone, quickly commented: "Talk about how you really feel."
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Greg Mitchell's new book is So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq (Union Square Press, $11). He is editor of Editor & Publisher.

Comments

[ajax2]

Liz Trotta, "It is a very colorful political season"-- she chuckled at this point--"
Yes, assassination is both colorful and hilarious in FoxWorld.

[MsLiz]

Colorful, as in colored people.

[msladydeborah]

Ms Liz,

Ron White has a saying about people like you: You can't fix stupid!
After reading your statement~HE'S RIGHT!

[Janney]

I am sure Liz is of the same mind set as Hillary. What they don't understand is life is precious and it isn't up to us to wish him harm just because Hillary has lost the race. Getting him killed is not going to make Hillary President. She has lost, period! After June 3rd the Super delegates will make sure Obama wins with plenty of votes and I only hope Hillary is banned from the Convention where she alledgely will try to steal the nomination from him. She can't fathom the thought of not returning to the WH with Billy Boy. I voted twice for Bill but after seeing him and Hillary acting like bullys and playing the victim card, I am appalled by their behaviour. Now, Liz, is nut case also. She should be fired because her comments are unacceptable and her apology is worthless because she meant what she said about Osama and Obama. Shame on Fox if they don't take action.

[AtlantaBill]

Gee, how silly am I ?? - I thought these people were Pro Life.

[indypete]

Retroactive abortion doesn't count.

[phughez]

Fox--a peculiar American appendage. At best, can be trusted for the weather or sports, but its politics is really out there.

[GwenElle]

Pretty unimpressive as apologies go. Two generally accepted guidlelines for extending an apology regard how to avoid offering up a bad, ineffective one:

Guideline 1, avoid soliciting sympathy for yourself as part of the apology
Guideline 2, don't offer excuses for the error for which you are apologizing.

Both actions are a failure to take full responsibility and to fully acknowledge the seriousness of what you have done -- and seriousness means seriousness in the eyes of those you have offended.

Trotter clearly was going for the sympathy vote, somehow confusing a whiny tone with sincerity. She clearly did not take full responsibilty for what she did. It was the tough political climate that "made her do it".

Furthermore, the apology should have come at the beginning of the interview, not the end. The whole thing felt like a calculated afterthought. Handled as it was, Fox minimized their offense while giving themselves cover to be able to say that they apologized. Kinda sorta.

Since the art of apology is a skill that we Americans are obviously in need of developing, I offer towards that end the following link:

http://www.perfectapology.com/how-to-apologize.html

[BroMan]

Excellent, constructive post Gwen. Kudos!

[SethBLiNK]

The "apology is inadequate from an ettiquette standpoint, but beyond that, it fails to acknowledge the danger of such a "lame joke."

Of the last 27 presidents, four have been murdered in public. Several others have been shot at, and in the case of Reagan, actually hit. To be joke about this is inappropriate beyond belief.

Huckabee made a similar joke and apologized a little be better, but here is a discussion of it and note how Dan Abrams, appropriately, does not let the pundits off the hook so easily: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8CNiuyd02E

But getting back to the "proper apology," look at these two. Obama apologizing after "sweetiegate" and Samantha Powers after the monster remark. Obama's tone is casual, but he offers no excuses and makes a thorough apology for both using the word and for never answering the question. He also offers a peace offering.

The Samantha Powers doesn't totally follow the rules. She does offer something of an explanation, but her tone of her apology is so emphatic, that one can't deny the sincerity of it and she also makes it clear that firing her from the campaign was the absolutely right thing to do.

At least some people out there were raised right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgS7gEk39Gk&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6hLk1b_blPw

[burnt]

Contact FOX:
Teri Everett, Senior Vice President
Corporate Affairs & Communications
Phone: [phone]
E-Mail: newscorp.comscorp.com

newscorp.comcorp.com

Or file an obscenity complaint here:

http://www.fcc.gov/eb/oip/Compl.html
Electronic Mail at [e-mail]
Toll Free: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322); 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY
Fax: [phone]

[anniecl]

Thanks so much for this information, I will put it to good use.

[ritenow]

OFF WITH HER HEAD!

If you believe that Fox will fire her, I have some other fairy tales to share.

[Countdown09]

I beginning to see a pattern here -- Make this dark out of line statement (regarding Sen. Obama's life) then just follow up with an apology and all is fine. In less than 2 weeks, we've heard this from Huckbee, Hillary and now this women. Well, I DO NO accept their apology and I hope to hell that the ill will they wish against Sen. Obama falls upon them.

[Aleka4]

So far Huckabee is the only one who showed any grace! He actually called Obama to apologize - which is more than either Clinton nor this hyena of a person did.

[punkingale]

Huckabee also said in his "joke" Barack Obama, as did Liz Trotta. Hillary was NOT talking about Obama. She never said his name, but everybody got upset because they are looking for anything to bring her down.

[bellenoir55]

Here are links to boycott Fox News sponsors;it's the ONLY thing they understand:

http://www.debone.com/boycottFoxNewsSponsors.html

http://skinthefox.com/sponsors_001.htm

[irishgawdess]

I think skinthefox.com is onto us - three major links show "server error" msgs. Haven't tried debone.com

[GEO7654]

Why hasn't this been aired and condemned by the media. Rev. Wright has been and is still being toasted for his remarks and Obama is being blamed for Wrights statements.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SHAMEFUL AND SHE NEEDS TO BE FIRED, BUT THIS IS THE FOX AGENDA, PLANT THE IDEA AND HOPE SOME CRAZY DOES IT.

[burnt]

Any apology coming from Trotta or FOX should be viewed for what it is... an attempt to forego punishment... an insincere device strictly used as a tool to evade the consequences that hundreds of millions of others "down the ladder" would suffer immediately.

There is no excuse for what she did or for what FOX condones... no matter how they spin this. She deserves nothing less than to be fired immediately. Jail time is something I'll leave to the courts.

[RavenHawk23]

I wonder what Liz "low-life" Trotta ment when she joked: "It is a very colorful political season."

Crawl back under your rock, Liz. You're polluting the gene pool.

[oldlakelady]

Another "I'm sorry if I offended anyone" lame excuse for an apology. Fire her now!

[AlexVonHussein]

I hope the Obama Girls and friends dont watch Foxy TV....going to school and kinds and teachers talking about that your father my be killed....do they sleep?

[MamaBird62]

Hope everyone has sent their e-mails to Verizon execs in NYC, who should be back fresh from their weekend in the Hamptons tomorrow morning. A Verizon ad aired immediately following Ms. Trott's threats.

verizon.comerizon.com (VP, Media Relations)

[AtlantaBill]

I'm firing of my letter to Verizon today. I also use their cellular service and will express my disgust directly when making my next payment. A few calls to their headquarters will send a powerful message.

[NewsCorpse]

Trotta actually sounded sincere and truly regretful in her apology. Therefore I can't understand why she then had to make a self-serving excuse along the lines of, "Well, everyone is doing it."

But at least she offered some sort of apology. Bill O'Reilly never apologized for his comment about lynching Michelle Obama. Sean Hannity never apologized for his comment about Nancy Pelosi.

Links to both comments here:
http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=923