I'm sorry that you're so thin-skinned

Am I the only one out there who read what Pope Benedict said in his "apology"? It was hardly a mea culpa for his remarks on Islam. The New York Times reports, "In a Rare Step, Pope Expresses Personal Regret," but all he regretted was "the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address." "I'm sorry you were insulted" is not the same as "I'm sorry that I insulted you." Where are the grammarians out there when you need them?

This kind of non-apology-apology, of course, has become de rigueur, especially in cases of racism. But other applications are surely around the corner. I can see President Bush explaining to detainees at Guantanamo: "I'm sorry about your reaction to your torture in CIA prison camps."

18 September 2006; 2 comments