I was not expecting an apology from Sen. Durbin and he didn’t give one. I missed the Rush Limbaugh show yesterday and on the chance you did too … I am quoting him because it is very good. I do not make a practice of mass quoting anyone but this time .. this is just too good. Rush also compares, toward the end of this long quote, the reaction to the joke that Trent Lott made at a birthday party that was a poor choice but not maliciously meant .. and ended his career to reaction of Dick Durbin’s malevolent remarks from the Senate floor and is in the government record for all time. The reactions are completely different, from fellow Senators to the MainStreamMedia. (As always, this link will only be available free until the next Rush show.)
RUSH: He hasn’t taken any of that back. He just said he’s sorry “if” anybody was offended by it, but he didn’t say he was wrong and he didn’t take it back, and he also, ladies and gentlemen, has never been to G’itmo. He’s never been. He went to Iraq, but he’s never been to G’itmo. You would think he’d want to go if it was this bad down there. You would think he’d want to go and take a look at it. Now, he first apologized. We’re giving the apology sound bites now. He first apologizes if anything he said “offended the memory of the Holocaust.” This is last night on the Senate floor.
DURBIN: I made reference to the Nazis, to the Soviets, and other repressive regimes. Mr. President, it is very clear that even though I thought I had said something that clarified the situation, to many people it was still unclear. I’m sorry if anything that I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust, the greatest moral tragedy of our time. Nothing, nothing should ever be said to demean or diminish that moral tragedy.
RUSH: But yet again he simply apologizes for the feelings that it caused, he doesn’t take back what he said, and then here come the tears, the Senate awash in tears. This is last night on the Senate floor, Durbin tears up while apologizing “if anything he said cast a negative light on the military.” Cast a negative light? He called them Nazis! What do you mean if anything he said cast a negative light? Listen to this.
DURBIN: I’m also sorry if anything I said in any way cast a negative light on our fine men and women in the military.
RUSH: Stop the tape. How could it not? I’m also sorry if anything I said in any way cast a negative light on our — I am sorry for casting a negative light and I take it back. That’s an apology. Here he continues saying he’s sorry if anything he said cast a negative — he did. You compared them to Nazis, Soviet gulags, Pol Pot. Here’s the rest of it.
DURBIN: I went to Iraq just a few months ago with Senator Harry Reid and a delegation, bipartisan delegation, the president was part of it. When you look in the eyes of the soldiers, you see your son, you see your daughter. They’re the best. I never, ever intended any disrespect for them.
RUSH: (Crying sounds.)
DURBIN: Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line. To them I extend my heartfelt apologies.
RUSH: There you go. “Some may believe my remarks…” They did cross the line. You’re not taking it back. You didn’t erase the line. The line’s still there. Your words are still over the line, and you’re apologizing to people for making them feel bad. Now, I know what you’re saying, Rush, can’t you just let this go? Come on, Rush! Come on, Rush, he apologized. Can’t you just let it go? This is only gonna — see, you’re just going to make everybody think the right-wing is just a bunch of wackos and freaks. Stick with me on this, folks. Stick with me. You have been with me long enough to know that we don’t do anything here without a major point with a big exclamation point to be followed, and that’s what’s going to happen here. So just stick with me before you say, “Come on, Rush! Be nice, will you? Be big about it. Be bigger than Durbin, accept the apology.” I just want to show you how Washington works here and I know how short memories are. Just sit tight. Let’s finish up with Durbin here before we go to the break. Let me check the roster here. Yeah, this is the last Durbin. He ends up here by quoting Abraham Lincoln who was shot in the temple. Remember that joke that he told about Lincoln? A lot of people think that he’s Jewish, yeah, Abraham. And he was shot in the temple. (Laughing.) Everybody laughed big time on that, still haven’t heard an apology for that one. Anyway, here he is, he invokes Lincoln’s name.
DURBIN: There’s usually a quote from Abraham Lincoln that you can turn to in moments like this.
RUSH: We do every day.
DURBIN: Maybe this is the right one. Lincoln said, “If the end brings me out right, what is said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong 10,000 angels swearing I was right wouldn’t make any difference. In the end I don’t want anything in my public career to detract from my love for this country, my respect for those who serve it, and this great senate.” I offer my apologies to those who were offended by my words.
RUSH: There you go.
DURBIN: I promise you that I will continue to speak out on the issues that I think are important to the people of Illinois and to the nation.
RUSH: How do you hear this? I’ll tell you the way I hear it. “I apologizes if…” First the Lincoln business. Hey, look, you know, if what I said was right it doesn’t matter what anybody else says; I’m going to be right — and if I was wrong, it doesn’t matter who defends me. I’m still going to be wrong. That’s just for icing. He gets to the point here. “I offer my apologies again to those who were offended by my words,” and then he says, “I’m going to keep saying it,” then he says, “I promise you I’m going to continue to speak out on issues that I think are important to the people of Illinois and the nation,” and if your feelings get hurt I may apologize again, but I’m going to keep speaking. All right, now, for those of you saying, “Come on, Rush! Can you let it go?” just stick with me.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: So Dick Durbin says that “some may believe that my remarks crossed the line.” But he doesn’t say he thinks that. He doesn’t say, “My remarks crossed the line.” He said, “Some of you may think my remarks crossed the line, and if you do, I’m story for offending you,” but I’m going to keep speaking out on these issues. He didn’t take the words back. I’m sorry, he didn’t take it back. “Come on, Rush! Give him the benefit of the doubt.” Just sit with me, folks. Let’s continue with the audio sound bites. Last night on the Senate floor, John McCain — who has to insert himself into virtually every story that there’s going to be a lot of press on — rushes to the Senate floor to praise Durbin and ask that we put this behind us.
THE MAVERICK: The senator from Illinois just made a heartfelt statement, one of apology. All of us, I believe, who have had the opportunity to serve in public life from time to time, have said things that we deeply regret. I know that I have. I can’t speak for the other members of this body. I would like to say to the senator from Illinois, he did the right thing, the courageous thing and I believe we can put this issue behind us, and I thank the senator from Illinois.
RUSH: A courageous thing here. So why doesn’t Durbin have to go on an atonement tour like Trent Lott did? Why doesn’t he have to go to sensitivity training? Why doesn’t he have to go meet Abraham Foxman? Why doesn’t he have to apologize to all the different Jewish groups in person like Lott? Lott had to show up on Black Entertainment TV, for crying out loud and sit with some of those stone-faced anchors who didn’t care that he was there and weren’t going to accept his apology no matter what. Lott apologized five times and they never accepted it once. And after he apologized five times the White House dumped all over him, and they took his Senate leadership position away from him and created an enemy out of him from now on until Bush leaves office. Five times Lott apologized — not once was it accepted — over a remark he made at a birthday party, and yet this that Durbin did was courageous. We’re not finished here. Do the Republicans demand that he resign his leadership post? Do they refuse to accept the apology? No, they accept it and move on. This morning on Fox and Friends, Mitch McConnell was there, and E. D. Hill says, “Some of have suggested that he should be canned from his job as minority whip. Do you think that’s going too far?”
McCONNELL: You know, leadership posts are up to the Democratic conference. That will be for them to decide. I think we’re probably going to move on from this point and to other issues.
RUSH: Yeah, we’ll get back to Bolton and the filibuster. Hubba hubba. Yes siree bob. Now, folks, don’t misunderstand me. I don’t care whether Durbin resigns his post or not. I’m just trying to show you the differences in these two parties. I’m trying to show you a party with gonads and a party with linguini spines and you tell me which party is which. I’m trying to show you which party’s got the guts to act like winners, which party has the guts to act like they have spines and which party, despite the fact that they lose, still acts like they run the show. As far as Durbin going or staying, I don’t know. If he stays, fine. I think he’s a poster child here for the Democratic Party, and I hope he keeps talking, and I haven’t changed my mind, and whether he apologized or not is irrelevant to me. I’m just pointing out to you I don’t think he did. I don’t believe in these public apologies anyway. I think it’s all a bunch of — he said what he meant to say. He said what he meant to say, and the really irony here is that while he’s out there supposedly apologizing for hurting people’s feelings what’s Nancy Pelosi doing? She’s organizing 133 members of the house to set up this investigation of what’s going on at G’itmo and to get us out of Iraq while Durbin is out there apologizing and praising the troops and the guards and everybody else. There’s not one bit of scrutiny from the mainstream press on any of this, just reporting and praise and, “Okay, Durbin did it. Can we now move on,” and the Washington Post we get a little story, tips for the Democrats. Hint: Next time don’t compare anybody to Hitler — and, by the way, the only reason they’re doing it is because Rush Limbaugh invented the term feminazis. That’s the sum total of the Washington Post story, Durbin did it because I popularized it first with feminazis. I haven’t used that term on this program in years. But it still gets to ‘em, doesn’t it, and you know why? (Laughing.) Because it’s right. Because it’s accurate, and I’m not going to apologize if it hurts your feelings but, you know what? I think if you’re offended it’s your problem, not mine. That’s another thing about this. Durbin is not in charge of other people’s feelings. He has no business apologizing if people are offended. People’s feelings are their own. So if you’re offended it’s your problem. That’s the way I look at it. You can’t go through life trying not to offend people or you’ll end up being a wimp. Anyway, Bill Frist accepted Durbin’s apology, this is this morning on C-SPAN2 on the Senate floor.
FRIST: Last night’s statement from Senator Durbin both honored our troops and recognized the sacrifices of those who lived and died under the grim systems of Nazi terror, of Soviet repression and Cambodian genocide. That is right and fine and worthy. Senator Durbin took an honorable step yesterday afternoon and I look forward to working with our colleague from Illinois as we move forward.
RUSH: You can’t be serious. I wouldn’t look forward to working with the guy. The guy is holding up everything you want to do, Senator Frist. This is the collegiality that of course our friends in the Senate, blah, blah, blah, blah. Durbin, after all this, is going to think the slate’s been wiped clean and he’s going to continue to stand in the way of everything Frist wants to get done. Nothing is going to change. All this collegiality, all this bending over forwards and backwards to be nice, to try to be bigger than everybody about this, to try to be bigger than the Democrats, it never works. It doesn’t make the Democrats like them any more. It isn’t going to get John Bolton a new vote. It isn’t going to get him approved. It’s not going to get Social Security advanced. It isn’t going to get anything done. Republicans are just afraid of the media ripping them to shreds if they refuse to accept the apology. That’s all this is.
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