34 Comments - Team Sleep - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:28 am: I will type this in his defense: 1. Apologizing to others is never required. It may be the right thing to do - or, in this case, it may look like the right thing to do - but if you say something and mean it then a walk back is often just as bad. 2. If he truly is sorry then I am not going to hammer him for waiting until today. The man is human and perhaps he needed time to do some serious soul searching (11:30 alliteration!). I am trying to raise my boys in a manner which they would never put themselves in a position to even have to apologize, but if they do find themselves in that situation then they need to man up. - slow down - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:29 am: It’s good that he’s apologizing but it’s not really something you can take back. He revealed something about himself in that moment. - wondering - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:30 am: too little, too late….not the qualities I want to see in a US Senator….being born in the U.K. with a father who was a tank commander under patton, particularly offensive. - @MisterJayEm - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:31 am: The best that Kirk could do under the circumstances. Circumstances that Kirk created. – MrJM - hisgirlfriday - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:34 am: And sincere best wishes to you Mr. Kirk for a happy and healthy retirement. - walker - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:37 am: Good apology. No ifs, ands, or buts. - Amalia - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:37 am: that’s nice. but wev, it’s out of the bag. - wordslinger - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:49 am: He made a real apology, not that “if I unintentionally offended someone” weasel-word nonsense. It’s all he could do under the circumstances to salvage some dignity and he did it. But whatever slight chance he had is gone. - sal-says - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:50 am: Took his PR flacks that long to come up w/ that ? - allknowingmasterofracoondom - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:52 am: I feel sorry for Senator Kirk. His medical condition has obviously affected his behavior. He just can’t keep his comments to himself - going back to “A bro with no ho”. It is time for him to go. I only wish he could have retired and quietly rode off into the sunset with some dignity. - sal-says - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:52 am: So, what exactly was ’sincere’? This apology or last nite.? - New Slang - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:52 am: I think the word “temperament” is appropriate for this episode. - Chucktownian - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 11:58 am: Kirk is so done. The question now is just the margin. - AlfondoGonz - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:01 pm: This apology almost reads like a concession. Might as well be. - Quad City Dem - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:02 pm: Class act, even if it’s late. Good statement by Kirk. - lake county democrat - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:02 pm: What Walker says - he deserves whatever political hits he takes, but in an era of faux “so sorry you are so sensitive” apologies, give him credit for a proper apology. I still think this is all trivial — when you think of how consequential control of the senate is, only something beyond the pale (e.g., maybe credible allegations of sexual harassment and assault) can justify voting against the party you want in control. - A Parent - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:04 pm: Too bad. This campaign has done nothing except tarnish the legacy of an otherwise good man. He’s tired. He’s sick. Time to rest. - @MisterJayEm - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:08 pm: “only something beyond the pale (e.g., maybe credible allegations of sexual harassment and assault) can justify voting against the party you want in control” One might add “one-drop rule” racial classification to your beyond the pale list. – MrJM - G'Kar - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:13 pm: Sorry, the horse has already left the barn. - Jocko - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:13 pm: ==Class act, even if it’s late.== That’s a little bit like saying, “At least he didn’t narrow his eyes and give the appearance of having an overbite.” - Mokenavince - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:15 pm: He said he was sorry that’s what a real man would do. - Pundent - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:15 pm: =I still think this is all trivial — when you think of how consequential control of the senate is, only something beyond the pale (e.g., maybe credible allegations of sexual harassment and assault) can justify voting against the party you want in control.= This exemplifies the problem with partisan politics. It results in putting ideology above decency. - Juvenal - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:18 pm: Not a genuine apology. Not even close. A genuine apology has five pieces: 1. I am sorry… 2. I regret… 3. What I did was wrong/unacceptable… 4. It hurt you…. 5. I hope you will forgive me. Kirk can’t even say what he did that was so wrong. Plus, you never Tweet out your apology when you haven’t apologized to the person. Just makes it worse. Like you don’t even realize whom you owe the apology to. Try again in a full public statement, not 144 characters, Senator Kirk. This one apology is gonna define how you are remembered most likely. - Albany Park Patriot - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:35 pm: He did something decent. This IS noteworthy. - Too Little, Too Late - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 12:53 pm: It is difficult to cure a chronic case of foot in mouth disease. - Mad Brown - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 1:34 pm: Nothing says sincerity like an apology with 140 character limit. - burbanite - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 1:36 pm: The apology was not qualified, so I take it for what it is, an apology. - Madigan's Lapdog - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 1:55 pm: like trying to bail while on the Titanic. - Juvenal - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 1:56 pm: Burbanite: An apology for what? You can’t ask for forgiveness if you can’t even admit what it is you did wrong. It’s pretty basic. His apology does not contain any qualifiers because there is nothing to qualify. Saying sorry without admitting what you did wrong is something six year olds do. And when they do, we correct them. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 2:12 pm: It was the best he could do. What more can be said than Kirk looks as bad as Kirk wanted to look, and now Kirk is reduced to Twitter and apologies. - Joe Biden Was Here - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 2:32 pm: He wasn’t much of a senator and this isn’t much of any apology. Bye bye. - Michael Westen - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 3:51 pm: At this point it is only a pebble of sand on the beach, but on WTTW the other night I believe Duckworth stumbled a bit. When asked about the lawsuit, she said the judge had described it as “a nuisance” suit. I believe that statement came from her counsel, the Attorney General of Illinois. The Judge’s statement was the case was “a garden variety” case. Very minor, I know, but still. - wordslinger - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 4:35 pm: Duckworth played it just right. Must not have listened to her windy campaign staff. - VanillaMan - Friday, Oct 28, 16 @ 4:39 pm: Worst Illinois senate race ever. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.