Words of Resignation

On Tuesday, December 10, 2002, Incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott issued a written apology over his December 5 comment that the United States would have avoided “all these problems” if then-segregationist Strom Thurmond had been elected president in 1948.

Lott had made the comment on the occasion of Thurmond's 100th birthday celebration.

In his apology, Lott said:

"A poor choice of words conveyed to some the impression that I embraced the discarded policies of the past," Lott said. "Nothing could be further from the truth, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by my statement."

Ten days later, under pressure from Democrats and Republicans, including Colin Powell and Jeb Bush, Lott resigned.

Fast forward to June 14, 2005.

The second-ranked Democrat in the United States Senate, Dick Durbin, compares the actions of American servicemen to the “Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime--Pol Pot or others--that had no concern for human beings.”

Durbin's comments comparing the actions of American soldiers to that of the 20th centuries most genocidal regimes drew immediate fire from Republicans—and a stonewall of silence from Democrats. Two days later on June 16, Durbin revised and extended his comments, insisting he said nothing objectionable.

Late Friday, Durbin said he was sorry if his comments had caused anyone to “misunderstand my true feelings,” but still refused to offer an apology for his outrageous rhetoric. Democrats—meanwhile, refused to comment, or tried to deflect criticism away from Durbin's slander. Not one national Democrat came out against Durbin's attack on America's military. Not one.

Only yesterday, one week after Durbin's calculated assault, did Chicago Mayor Richard Daley finally step up to the plate and say Durbin should apologize. Later, Durbin finally gave a week half-apology, stating:

“Mr. President, I have come to understand that was a very poor choice of words. I tried to make this very clear last Friday that I understood to those analogies to the Nazis, Soviets and others were poorly chosen. I issued a release which I thought made my intentions and my inner-most feeling as clear as I possibly could.”

Durbin shed crocodile tears, but he refused to shed his initial comments, offering no retraction, and instead tried to claim he was merely misunderstood with a dismissive “I'm sorry if…” speech.

• “I sincerely regret if what I said causes anybody to misunderstand my true feelings.”
• “I'm sorry if anything that I said caused any offense or pain…”
• “I'm also sorry if anything I said in any way cast a negative light on our fine men and women in the military.”

Weasel words without a retraction. This is the “apology” of an insincere Dick Durbin.

2 ½ years ago, Trent Lott made a remark at a birthday party about the guest of honor and was driven out of office for his trouble. While his speech was an attempt to pay tribute to one man, it raised the specter of segregation and its racist policies. Lott had to go, and resigned as incoming Senate Majority Leader.

Now in 2005, in a nation at war, another Senator slanders our military by directly comparing their actions to some of modern history's most murderous regimes. His speech was not an accident or a misguided tribute, but a carefully crafted assault that he vigorously defended and has yet to retract.

Both Trent Lott and Dick Durbin have admitted to making “a poor choice of words” for obscene comments. It is only fair that they suffer the same fate.

Like Lott before him, Dick Durbin must go.