WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — There's sorry. There's sorry that I got caught. And there's, Sure, I'm sorry, if that's what you want to hear.
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., gave President Obama the last of those when he apologized for shouting, "You lie!" during the president's health care address to Congress.
So why were Democrats so hellbent on getting another fake apology?
f you buy the explanation of Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., it's because the House of Representatives must demonstrate proper behavior to the nation's children.
"It's all about the decorum of this House," Rep. Clyburn said, defending a request that his colleagues rebuke Rep. Wilson. "Proper contrition has not been made. Silence gives consent. We cannot be silent in this matter. We do not consent to the conduct of Mr. Wilson."
Rep. Clyburn is perturbed that Rep. Wilson refused to humble himself on the House floor and apologize to his fellow lawmakers for the outburst. Rep. Wilson said that one apology — even a hollow one — is enough.
"I am not going to apologize again," he told Fox News, adding that he respected the president and "would never do something like that again."
So angry House Democrats crafted a resolution of disapproval — which passed Tuesday by a vote of 240-179, basically along party lines — that calls Rep. Wilson a naughty boy for not toeing the line and capitulating to their demand.
That demonstrates revenge, not decorum. And it shows about as much maturity as Rep. Wilson did when he started this brouhaha.
Dems would have been better off following the advice of party loyalist Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., who said, "The man has apologized ... I think we should heed President Obama's advice and end the bickering, and maybe we Democrats can play our part by moving on."
The definition of an apology is a written or spoken expression of one's regret, remorse, or sorrow for having insulted, failed, injured or wronged another.
Here's how Rep. Wilson described his apology to the president — which, by the way, wasn't given to directly to Mr. Obama: "I heard from the (Republican) leadership that they wanted me to contact the White House and state that my statements were inappropriate. I did. I'm very grateful that the White House indicated that they appreciated the call and that we needed to have a civil discussion about the health care issues."
Where's the regret, remorse or sorrow?
Rep. Wilson did what his party bosses — who recognized the public relations nightmare that his lack of civility would cause the GOP — told him to do. His actions were political.
And Democrats have responded in kind.
It wasn't proper contrition they wanted. It was the constant media attention to this GOP faux pas.
Amazingly, the party with a majority in the House and Senate and a president in the White House can't craft a single health care bill on which they all agree and get it on the president's desk. Yet, they can get together — with Republican support, no less — on an insignificant political antic.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, was right when he called the resolution a "partisan stunt," noting that similar behavior had not in the past prompted similar action. "My goodness," Rep. Boehner said, "we could be doing this every day of the week."
Indeed. There could have been a resolution of disapproval in, say, 1995, when Rep. Boehner handed out campaign checks from the tobacco industry to lawmakers on the House floor when they were considering eliminating a tobacco subsidy.
An apology is worthless unless it's sincere. If you have to ask for — or, in this case, demand one — you don't need it.
Rep. Wilson is keeping it real by refusing another mea culpa. He was wrong for shouting at the president, but he meant what he said.
To again feign remorse wouldn't be an apology. It would be a Joe Lie!
Rhonda Swan is an editorial writer for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: rhonda(underscore)swan(at)pbpost.com.