Sixth, if you're a conservative, apologies are pointless, and interpreted by the liberals as an admission of guilt - an excuse to expedite punishment, not a pass to instant forgiveness. Trent Lott apoloigized profusely about his remarks about Strom Thurmond, but in the liberal world, he will forever be cast by liberals as a racist.
It's a bit like a doctor. If the doctor leaves the surgery and delivers tragic news to the family and utters the words "I'm sorry", he just set himself up for a massive lawsuit. Doctors are trained to say "We did all we could". Apologies just invite trouble in that sad situation.
Likewise, if a Republican were to "admit mistakes" (the Left ALWAYS wants Bush to do this) then we'd never hear the end of it "He did did thus-and-such -- and he ADMITTED IT!!!!"