DeLay Apologizes (Or So the Headlines Would Have Us Believe)

This was the headline: DeLay apologizes for rhetoric in Schiavo case

Any of the following, however, would have been more accurate:

DeLay apologizes for inflammatory language; still advocates undermining judiciary

DeLay apologizes for tone of previous statement without changing position

DeLay apologizes for rhetoric appearing to threaten judges with violence; continues to threaten their jobs

DeLay backed into a corner; whimpers, then attacks

DeLay babbles incoherent non-apology; still a total douchebag

DeLay did express regret for saying, after the death of Schiavo, that the judges who refused to reinsert the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube would one day "answer for their behavior."

[…]

"I said something in an inartful way. I am sorry I said it that way," DeLay said.

He said he favors an independent judiciary but made it plain that he does not intend to give up congressional efforts to rein in "activist" judges.

"We've got jurisdiction over the courts. We set up the courts, and we can unset the courts," DeLay said. "We have the power of the purse."

So, in fact, DeLay was making an apology for the actual words he used, not for the underlying rhetoric—not for the Right’s continued attack on the judiciary.

And, regardless of the nature of his apology, isn’t the bigger (by a fucking long shot) issue in this story that the House Majority Leader continues to espouse the idea that the courts are meant to act at the behest of the legislature?

DeLay leads charge to permanently undermine system of checks and balances; electorate waves goodbye to democracy

How’s that for a headline?