Posted on 06/17/2005 4:35:18 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Friday that he regretted any misunderstandings caused by his comments earlier this week comparing American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis. The White House, Senate Republicans and others had called for an apology after Durbin's comments Tuesday.
Durbin made the comparison after reading an FBI agent's report describing detainees at the Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as being chained to the floor without food or water in extreme temperatures.
"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others - that had no concern for human beings," Durbin said Tuesday.
On Friday, Durbin tried to clarify the issue. "My statement in the Senate was critical of the policies of this Administration, which add to the risk our soldiers face," he said in a statement released Friday afternoon. "I have learned from my statement that historical parallels can be misused and misunderstood. I sincerely regret if what I said caused anyone to misunderstand my true feelings: Our soldiers around the world and their families at home deserve our respect, admiration and total support."
The Anti-Defamation League on Thursday had joined lawmakers and other groups in calling for an apology.
"Suggesting some kind of equivalence between (U.S. military) interrogation tactics demonstrates a profound lack of understanding about the horrors that Hitler and his regime actually perpetrated," the league said in a letter to Durbin that was posted to its Web site.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday: "I feel apologies are in order to the men and women of the Armed Forces. I do not ask it for myself."
All seven freshmen Republican senators also made a joint call Friday for an apology.
Durbin had said Thursday that he had never brought U.S. soldiers into the comparison in the first place, and that he was criticizing the approved interrogation methods described in an FBI memo obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
ON THE NET
Sen. Dick Durbin: http://durbin.senate.gov
White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov
Anti-Defamation League: http://www.adl.org/
EVEN IF we could say that Durbin is now regretting his comments against our Fine Military - and trying to push it off on Blaming President Bush - here is what he is saying:
He means that OUR PRESIDENT and HIS ADMINISTRATION are the equivalent of Hitler and the Nazi's and of Stalin and the Gulag's and of Pol Pot and the Killing fields.
Such slander denigrates not only the innocent millions murdered by those mass murdering tyrants but this President and our nation.
The outrage is just as stark, Mr. Dirtbin.
He has only made things worse.
What we have not misunderstood is that the Democrats are constantly picking away at the Bush administration to see if they can get Bush to cave and give them another victory. I would imagine the Clinton gulag is behind this one too. Hillary no doubt has a road map printed out to take her to the White House, and the Republicans are road kill, thanks to their own weakness.
Durbin knew exactly what he was saying and why he was saying it, and like all the liars in the Democrat party knew he could blame the citizens who got up in arms over his treason by saying we "misunderstood". Sure we did.
According to recent research, more child molestations occur in PUBLIC SCHOOLS, per 100 kids, than in the Catholic Church.
So, using Turbin Logic - our public schools are Nazi sex-slave labor camps.
Bet the teachers unions would love that blanket assertion.
How does it feel, dems ?
I understood. No apology needed or accepted. Too late now Mr. Durbin.
HE HAS LEARNED????
He is a bleeping US Senator .. HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT HISTORY !
So he's upset with the Administration and he calls Our Military Nazis, Soviets & Pol Pot ???
Hey Durbin .. Take your So-Called apology and stick it where the sun don't shine!!
"My statement in the Senate was critical of the policies of this Administration, which add to the risk our soldiers face," he said in a statement released Friday afternoon. "I have learned from my statement that historical parallels can be misused and misunderstood. I sincerely regret if what I said caused anyone to misunderstand my true feelings: Our soldiers around the world and their families at home deserve our respect, admiration and total support."
HOGWASH!!!!!HOGWASH!!!!!HOGWASH!!!!!HOGWASH!!!!!HOGWASH!!!!!
The only credible apology from you will include the words "I am therefore resigning from the U.S. Senate."
Zell Miller and Newt Gingrich Call for Senate Censure for Durbin (Hannity - Updated info) ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1425214/posts
Also on FR and Hannity earlier today
This was out of the Clinton playbook.....post a half a$$ apology late on a Friday evening...then come Monday claim to want to move on.....he said he was sorry....yada yada.
Well said and exactly right.
What a total weasel and scum this guy is. He got his 15 mins of fame. The only positive note in all this is that most Americans educated in government schools, especially those under 30..will not even understand who he was referring to. They wouldn't know the difference between Gulag and goulash.
Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm too cynical.
"Has he checked out this [FBI] agent?"
Another anonomous source, perhaps the same one used by Newsweak.
another rat non-apology apology
I guess we're supposed to believe that his troops bashing was his way of supporting the troops, and any offense was aimed at people he was never talking about in the first place. That doesn't wash.
Carefully read that statement.
He doesn't admit HE misused and misunderstood historical parallels.
He's still blaming the right wing.
Sorry DICK.Too late DICK.
Shudda, wooda, cuda, DICK.
You messed up DICK.
Big time DICK.
True contrition would be to go before you Senate colleagues and truly apologize to the soldiers at Gitmo and elsewhere.
But even after that,
The damage is done DICK.
The message has been sent loud and clear DICK.
Nothing can cause the message to be cancelled DICK.
Just what you and your treasonous friends wanted DICK.
Hope yer happy DICK.
DICK is a sleazebag scumball.
I think he really regrets being understood.
It's so transparent. So, will the sunday morning talking heads be talking about this? Probably a blip.
Phooey!! This guy is a liar. I support the troops BUT...crap.
He better not go anywhere near our troops, stay the hell away from Iraq, and stay out of small town America too!
He'll find out how the country really feels about his traitorous a$$! And he'll be balling like a big baby!
PIG!!
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