On one hand, I feel somewhat (just slightly) relieved that President Bush seems to have apologized for something. But on the other hand, I notice that he’s only done it indirectly. He got up in front of the press corps and reported that he told King Abdullah of Jordan — our ally — that he was sorry. But he didn’t step up to a camera and speak right to it, to the people who were hurt, and apologize.
I’m not sure what I think of this, really. It’s kind of like he’s looking for a sideways way out of the mess, a way that he can dodge criticism but not really do anything. Using the tactics of a true egotist, he managed to relate his apology using the word “I” over and over and over. “I said this, I said that.” It was an indirect apology, which in a court of law would be labeled hearsay.
Of course, in the end what’s most telling about him as a “leader” is that he won’t ever do the right thing until public pressure reaches a fever pitch.
