Stark Apologises After Censure Vote Fails

House Minority Leader John Boehner's resolution to censure Pete Stark failed 196-173 with eight members voting present. Stark was being censured for saying that President Bush sent troops to Iraq so they could get their "heads blown off for his amusement."

Even though 204 representatives weren't willing to say that he should be symbolically punished for his insults, Stark apologized anyway.

"I want to apologize first of all to my colleagues, many of whom I have offended, to the president. his family, to the troops that may have found (offense) in my remarks as were suggested in the motion that we just voted on, and I do apologize. ... With this apology I will become as insignificant as I should be and we can return to the issues that do divide us but that we can resolve."

Well, we can agree on that. This was a direct reversal of his announcement last week that he would not apologize. I suspect he cut a deal with Pelosi to keep her from letting the Democrats loose for this vote.

Ummm... [Ace] Note that he apologized for the less broadly offensive part of his statement -- just his insult of Bush.

He did not apologize for stating that the military goes over to Iraq to blow up innocent people. Nancy Pelosi won't force him to apologize for that, because she can't admit he said that in the first place.

The media will of course pretend he only insulted Bush.

Oh, wait, that presumes the media will cover this at all, which of course they have not and will not.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 12:24 PM

| Access Comments