Still no apology

Yeah, I heard Janet Napolitano say the word “apology” on Fox News the other morning in regards to the threat assessment of the right, it it wasn’t attached to any other words so that it could in any, way, shape or form be construed as an actual apology. In fact, today in the Washington Times, she blames some nebulous “politicization” typical of Washington, DC for the furor;

“I regret that in the politicization of everything that happens in Washington, D.C., some took offense,” Ms. Napolitano said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The secretary defended the report, as she has since a report in The Washington Times detailed how it defined “rightwing extremism” as including pro-life and anti-immigration groups and cited Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh as an example of a disgruntled veteran.

“But I think any fair reading of the report says this is very consistent with other reports that have been issued before. . . . They are meant to give people what is called situational awareness, and they are certainly not intended to give offense – far from it.”

Well, in my opinion, ”politicization” is what caused the report. And if Napolitano had any veterans or pro-lifers or small government advocates in her office, she might have seen this coming. And it is hardly “politicization” when Democrat Congressman (who also happens to be Black) Bennie Thompson is outraged by the report. From a Washington Times article last week;

“This report appears to raise significant issues involving the privacy and civil liberties of many Americans including war veterans,” Mr. Thompson said in the letter sent Tuesday.

“As I am certain you agree, freedom of association and freedom of speech are guaranteed to all Americans whether a person’s beliefs, whatever their political orientation, are ‘extremist’ or not,” Mr. Thompson said.

The report “blurred the line,” and Mr. Thompson said he is “disappointed and surprised that the department would allow this report to be disseminated” to law enforcement officials nationwide.

For some reason, the only place I can find Thompson quoted is in the Washington Times – I guess no other news source is interested in the fact that there’s a Democrat who finds the report distasteful. And how do Democrat Iraq veterans in Congress respond (PhillyBurbs.com)?

Eighth District Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy, who has gained notoriety as the first Iraq War veteran in Congress, had no comment on the report, according to his spokesman Adam Abrams.

Yeah, that’s how you man-up, Patty. Either you agree with it or you don’t…just say so. Stop hiding behind the skirts of your press office.

Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Media, Politics