Mea culpa: Rating the corruption case apologies

Posted by Matt Zencey, editorial page editor

Posted: March 5, 2008 - 10:19 am

When he announced he would plead guilty to a federal corruption charge, Jim Clark issued a lengthy apology. On a scale of 0 to 10, where zero is “my lips are moving, but I don’t believe a word of what I’m saying” and 10 is “I’m a sinner and will accept my just fate,” the apology from the guy who was Gov. Frank Murkowski’s right hand man was about a 9.

The only sour note was when he tried to explain away why he told the Anchorage Daily News that he had NOT done what he eventually admitted doing. (Basically, he claimed he was just confused, not lying.)

Otherwise Clark said all the right things and appeared to mean them. What he did was “wrong,” “unethical” and “stupid.” He said he is “sorry for what I have done to harm Alaskans’ trust in their public officials.” He apologized to Alaskans, to Gov. Murkowski’s opponents in the primary, to his boss Murkowski, to A.D.N., and to his family. He says he knows he has to pay for what he did.

How does Clark’s mea culpa compare to others from the lips and pens of others who were nabbed in Alaska’s corruption scandal?

Let’s take a look:

BILL BOBRICK: The lobbyist started apologizing privately before he was even charged, let alone making his guilty plea. He handed out apologies the way Bill Allen handed out campaign contributions. He was the Energizer Bunny of public apologizes. He apologized more often than Barack Obama uses the word “change.” The federal judge who sentenced Bobrick said he’d never seen a defendant so remorseful. On a scale of 1 to 10, Bobrick’s mea culpa is an 11.

REP. TOM ANDERSON: Tom fought his charges at trial, then turned contrite – a typical deathbed-type conversion. He told the judge at sentencing “"I accept full responsibility for the choices I've made and the damage I've done,” while his lawyer continued to make excuses for him, saying Tom never THOUGHT he was doing anything illegal. Lame.
Mea culpa rating: 2.

REP. PETE KOTT: After being convicted, he said he never did anything wrong – as a lawmaker serving in his official capacity on the House floor. Off the House floor – uh, well, yeah, all that stuff you saw on those tapes was pretty bad. For that, Kott said, “I do deeply regret and apologize.”
Mea culpa rating: 0.5.

REP. VIC KOHRING: Vic wins the prize for lamest apology by a convicted politician. After the jury rung him up, Kohring apologized to Alaskans, not for his corrupt mooching of money and favors, well-documented on tape, but for the stress and trauma of the investigation and trial. Then he accused the judge of bias and sought a new trial. Maybe Vic’s getting his PR advice from the same folks who are helping Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds with their steroid problems.
Mea culpa rating: minus 1.

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