Posted on 11/08/2004 7:58:44 PM PST by conservative in nyc
RENTON, Nov. 8 - In a farewell address tinged with soul-searching and regret, Gov. James E. McGreevey apologized Monday to the people of New Jersey for the sex scandal that led him to resign, but said he was proud of his administration's accomplishments and relieved that he no longer had to conceal his identity as a gay man.
Mr. McGreevey, who announced his resignation on Aug. 12 and will step down next Monday at midnight, said he was gratified that he had been able to overhaul the state's troubled child welfare system and win approval of a plan to preserve hundreds of thousands of acres of open space in the Highlands. But he told his staff members and constituents that he was profoundly sorry that his extramarital affair, which his advisers have said was with a former aide, had inflicted such severe political damage that he could not complete his term.
"I am sorry that I have disappointed the citizens of the state of New Jersey, who gave me this enormous trust," he said. "I am not apologizing for being a gay American, but rather, for having let personal feelings impact my decision-making and for not having had the courage to be open about whom I was."
Speaking before about 500 invited guests in the auditorium of the State House complex, Mr. McGreevey received a supportive reception. The crowd of friends, political leaders, Democratic legislators and staff members gave the governor a full minute of sustained applause when he took the stage and a standing ovation when he completed his speech.
But there were few tears. After nearly three months of salacious news reports about Mr. McGreevey's private life - including a lengthy exposé Sunday in The Star Ledger of Newark, which reported that Mr. McGreevey's advisers had worried for years that his private life might cause political embarrassment - many spectators seemed relieved that the ordeal was coming to an end.
"A few weeks ago, I saw him speak, and people were all emotional," said Denise Brown Kahney, of the Displaced Homemakers Network, a support and advocacy group for divorced and widowed women, who was invited to the event. "At this point, though, I think everyone is just drained."
Yet if Mr. McGreevey was in the unenviable position of delivering his own political eulogy, he hardly appeared mournful. At times reflective and impassioned, he quoted the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rudyard Kipling and Aeschylus, and said he was proud that New Jersey had defied the country's conservative political tide by adopting a domestic partnership law. He also issued a call to soften the bitter tone of the nation's political discourse, even while acknowledging that he, too, had engaged in the brutal gamesmanship of a profession in which "we smile in person and then throw each other under the bus when we leave the room."
"I'm not seeking to avoid my own contributions, at times, to this division," he said. "The history of America is to expand civil liberties in a responsible and civil manner."
If the reaction from the governor's Republican counterparts in Trenton on Monday was any indication, however, that harsh political tone is not about to subside. Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr., Republican state chairman, said Monday that Mr. McGreevey should have left months ago and allowed voters to choose his successor in a special election. By remaining in office, the governor assured that his Democratic ally, Senate President Richard Codey, would complete the final 14 months of his term.
The Assembly Republican leader, Alex DeCroce, said that for all of the governor's soaring rhetoric and high-minded literary allusions, he had failed to deliver on his promise to "change the way Trenton does business," and had led an administration bogged down by a variety of scandals.
"The reality is, this governor disgraced himself and the state," Mr. DeCroce said. "The only people who did exceptionally well under his administration were his friends and campaign contributors."
Democrats took a far more sympathetic tone. Mr. Codey praised Mr. McGreevey's courage in publicly accepting responsibility for his mistakes, and said he was eager to lead the state to brighter days. State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, one of the governor's closest advisers, predicted that time would put Mr. McGreevey's tenure in a more positive perspective. Former Gov. Brendan T. Byrne, long a mentor to Mr. McGreevey, said he considered the speech a fitting coda to Mr. McGreevey's turbulent tenure in office.
"It was a good summary of his pluses and minuses," Mr. Byrne said. "What he did was put the whole thing in context, and the apology was part of the context. There he is, warts and all."
With just seven days until he leaves, Mr. McGreevey's plans remain a closely-held secret. His advisers have confirmed that he and his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, are moving to separate homes in different parts of the state. She and the governor's parents, who were at his side when he made his nationally televised announcement of his resignation, did not attend the address on Monday.
There have been published reports that Mr. McGreevey plans to join Mr. Lesniak's law firm, Weiner Lesniak, but neither the governor nor the firm will comment on them. Some of Mr. McGreevey's aides say he may take a role in promoting political causes dear to him, including stem cell research and gay rights, but the governor and his staff members have declined to discuss what kind of public role he will take. Near the closing of his speech Monday, however, Mr. McGreevey seemed to suggest that he would not simply fade away.
"With these thoughts, then, I begin my own new journey as an American who just happens to be gay and proud," he said. "I don't look back with bitterness, anger or sorrow. I look forward to seeking knowledge, a journey of self-discovery and finding ways to contribute my gifts to those to whom they could be helpful."
Standard Democrat Procedure: When caught in a real scandal involving fraud and embezzlement, admit to a sex scandal, then claim it's all about sex.
How can NJ rats endure the shame--their govenor was taking it up the butt with gusto.
Ewwww! Wiley E. Coyote ordered 50 cases of that Acme Fudge.
I like how he refers to himself as a "gay American." I'm gonna start writing "straight american" or a "smart american" when filling out forms that ask for race.
What an arrogant, self-absorbed jerk. And he didn't let his constituents VOTE for his successor. LOSER.
Three words James ---- you blew it.
Here's McGreevey advertising his wares to Gerbil-Boy Magazine.
Some "gift."
I nearly barfed when they gave him a standing ovation today. This world has truly gone mad.
This guy is proud he's going to hell!???
No sodomite should be proud of going to hell.
Frequently it appears.
You think that is bad, you should have seen him quoting the Bible... and the truth will set him free. He has no clue what the scripture means.
"I'm not quire sure why the CORRUPT American should be proud of anything."
I've never seen people as proud as the gays appear to be, with the parades and all.
When are the horny old heterosexual goats going to get a parade? I want my civil rights and equality!
Is his gayness just a passing phase? Something that he needed to play with? Or can we expect more of him--like McGreey's Bathhouse, Spa and Bar?
Mainstream, voting, Middle America is simply not ever going to accept homosex. Won't happen.
You are correct. But, like the Dims do, say it was only about "sex," and claim you did nothing wrong.
Too soon to hit on his old lady? (providing the blood work ups come back OK...anything for my country I always say!)
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