If the true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching, then the worst test of a man's character is what he does when everybody piles on him for being a colossal jerk. Which is to say, Republican Rep. Lee Terry gets zero points for apologizing for being a total jagoff when he offered
these sneering comments last week on the federal government shutdown his party forced:
Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., was blunt when asked if he would continue collecting his paychecks during the shutdown.
"Dang straight," he said. [...]
"But you know what? I've got a nice house and a kid in college, and I'll tell you we cannot handle it. Giving our paycheck away when you still worked and earned it? That's just not going to fly."
Terry, who only won re-election by 2 points last year against an underfunded opponent,
issued a defiant statement on Friday night blaming Democrats for the shutdown. But, perhaps remembering how politically vulnerable he is, Terry
climbed down from Mount Schmuckface on Monday:
"The other day I made a statement that I would put my needs above others in crisis," Terry said in his Sunday statement. "I'm ashamed of my comments. It was not leadership. It is not how I was raised. It is not the nature of my character. It is not what I want to teach my sons. I apologize for my hurtful remarks when so many others are feeling the pain of Washington's dysfunction."
No matter how ashamed Terry claims to feel, that won't stop Democrats from reminding voters that "dang straight" he was gonna keep collecting his pay while 800,000 furloughed federal employees went without.