It sure didn't take long for Sen. Clinton to decide she regretted her bizarre comment in Sioux Falls today. But "regret" does NOT equal an apology. This short diary is more about political posturing than about Sen. Clinton; she simply was the catalyst for something I've been wanting to say for some time.
In my 20's, while still trying to come to grips with my childhood, I mentioned to a therapist an incident (indicative of 1000 such incidents) where my father had said something to me along the lines of, "You played a really good baseball game today, but if you'd take more practice swings in the on-deck circle, you'd have a higher batting average." Sorry, I'm attempting to match Sen. Clinton in bizzaro-world, which I'm not really sure is possible.
The therapist was quick and direct in his response: "Any 'compliment' followed by the word 'but' is NOT a compliment."
"I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and in particular the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever," the former first lady said.
ANY "apology" which contains "I apologize," "I'm sorry," "I regret," etc., FOLLOWED by the word "IF" is NOT an apology.
Politicians (and, admittedly, this is by NO means limited to pols) don't seem to even understand what an apology IS anymore.
"I'm sorry I did X." <--- apology</p>
"I'm sorry if someone took offense at my doing X." <--- cowardly non-apology <br>"I regret that some may have taken my doing X to mean Y." <--- cowardly non-apology</p>
We're STILL waiting for that apology, Sen. Clinton. But I, for one, am continuing to breathe. I don't look good blue.