Senator Dick “I have no regrets” Durbin issued a statement on his website apologizing for the fact that he didn’t realize comparing American soldiers to Nazi thugs could be “misused and misunderstood.” By who he doesn’t say. Since I doubt very much that he’s apologizing to me or any other person who took offense at his slanderous assertions - and since not one lefty blogger or Democratic Senator has come out and criticized his remarks - one can only assume he’s apologizing to al Jazeera and other terrorist media outlets for “misunderstanding” his true feelings.

His munificence evidently knows no bounds.

Here’s the statement in its entirety:

“More than 1700 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and our country’s standing in the world community has been badly damaged by the prison abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. My statement in the Senate was critical of the policies of this Administration which add to the risk our soldiers face.”

“I will continue to speak out when I disagree with this Administration.”

“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.”

What does the fact that 1700 Americans being killed in Iraq have to do with a statement explaining remarks about the Guantanamo detention facility? And, as Powerline points out, which policies of the Administration led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib? The ones that directed soldiers to take pictures of inmates with hoods being threatened by dogs? Lyndie England as enforcer of Administration policy? Senator Turban couldn’t resist the urge to attack the Administration even while making a statement of…what should we call it? Apology? Regret? Explanation?

Calling that statement anything other than a self-serving, ass-covering, piece of horse manure in which the Senator is trying to make people forget what he said and substitute what he tells us he really meant does a travesty to the truth.

Here are Durbin’s exact words:

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. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.

I can see no room in that statement for misinterpretation. The Senator is saying that “the actions of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners” are reminiscent (”you would most certainly believe”) of Nazis, Soviets, and Pol Pot.

As I’ve said in the past, the Senator’s statement is perfectly consistent with the idea that it’s not important what we think Democrats mean when they say something, the only reality, the only context to understand their language is something they make up as they go along.

Convenient albeit a little confusing. Maybe they could tell us when they really mean what they say. Conversely, maybe they could give us a heads up when they want to say something they don’t really mean but we should ask them what they’re really trying to say? That should make things a little easier, don’t you think?

I think the liberals took elocution lessons from Jacque Derridia.

Here’s some additional reaction to Senator al Durbin’s statement.

Captain Ed:

This, of course, is the classic example of the non-apology apology. Note that he doesn’t retract a word of what he said. He says that he regrets if others misunderstood his “true feelings”, not that what he said was wrong and historically inept. Basically, this is the translation one is meant to hear:

If this is the best that Durbin can do after comparing the men and women of our armed forces to Nazis and Stalin’s goons, as well as comparing Islamofascist terrorists to Japanese-American victims of WWII detention centers, then he’s a bigger idiot than I thought

“Idiot” seems to be the word of the day. Here’s the aforementioned Powerline take:

This is idiotic. First, Durbin notes that more than 1,700 soldiers have been killed. This is a good reason to interrogate enemy combatants, hardly an argument to the contrary. But Durbin leads with it to create the illusion that this is somehow his concern. Next he says that his statement was “critical of the policies of this Administration.” But saying that American soldiers are indistinguishable from Nazis and Communists isn’t being “critical of the policies of this administration.” This administration has not, in fact, condoned torture of detainees; as we have pointed out over and over, the administration’s policies have been humane to a degree that is probably unprecedented in world history during wartime. When abuses have occurred, as at Abu Ghraib (which Durbin irrelevantly drags into his “apology”), they have been in clear violation of the administration’s policies.

Finally, Durbin tells us that he has just now learned that comparing our soldiers to Nazis, Communists, and Pol Pot-type crazies “can be misused and misunderstood.” Misused? What does that mean? By whom? Presumably Durbin means that al Jazeera et al. can “misuse” his statements to trumpet the claim that high-ranking American officials have conceded that the U.S. is just as bad as Nazi Germany. I’m not sure that’s a “misuse”–it is what Durbin said–but if he has just now figured out that his statements can be used as propaganda by the enemy, he is much too stupid to be a United States Senator.

In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid does.”

Hugh Hewitt:

The first cartoonist, other than the genius Muir, weighs in on the Durbin debacle. The outrage continues, and the FreeRepublic’s Military Father post sums it up: Dick Durbin is a disgrace, a low, dishonorable weasel, and the country knows it. He is also the Dems’ #2 in the Senate. He can issue new statement after new statement, but the verdict is in: Durbin is no friend of the American military. Durbin has harmed the country and the military, greatly. He should resign. Democrats should call on him to do so. They will not. Political advantage means more than standing up for the troops.

Here’s a link to Bloggers for Censure. They’re looking for content so if you’ve written something, send him a link.

Strata-Sphere:

This is not going to undo the damage this man has done. I have posted on this before, but it bears repeating. Dick Durbin did more for the terrorists’ cause and recruitment drives than any BS story about Koran flushes or GITMO AC levels:

AJ has a link to an Islamist website that claims Durbin broke “significant new ground” in his accusations. Since they’re not here, on behalf of absent terrorists and their sympathizers everywhere, I’d like to thank you Dicky for the service you’ve rendered their cause.