Politicians used to apologize.
Sure, their apologies were poorly worded, insincere, only done for self-serving purposes and not out of any true remorse or recognition of their actions. But apologize they did.
Bill Clinton delivered a televised apology to the nation after the news broke he had an extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky, conducted the affair inside the White House and the Oval Office and lied to the American people about it.
Ronald Reagan apologized for the Iran-Contra scandal. George W. Bush apologized for the government’s woeful response to Hurricane Katrina. Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford’s apology after “hiking the Appalachian trail” is now political legend.
But today, politicians no longer say they are sorry.
Humility and humanity has largely escaped our political system. Politics has always been a blood sport, but never as much as today. The climate is such that politicians fear apologizing for any mistake, or expressing regret or remorse.
The two frontrunners for the major party nominations for president, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, are perfect examples.
Clinton is embroiled in a scandal over the fact that while Secretary of State, she chose, over the instructions of her then-boss President Obama, to use a personal e-mail account to conduct official government business.
The questioning of Clinton is valid — at the very least this shows a serious lack of judgment and lack of respect for protocol, and at the worst a potential leak of classified materials and an attempt to hide information. But Clinton herself could have diffused this scandal by admitting that she made a mistake, rather than dig in and assert (incorrectly) that her use of a personal email was completely legitimate.
Meanwhile, it seems as if Trump spouts a reckless or factually incorrect statement every few minutes on the campaign trail. From calling Mexican immigrants rapists to attacking John McCain’s service record, he has committed gaffe after gaffe.
And yet, he refuses to apologize for them. The thing is, people love it. His supporters see him as someone who will “tell it like it is,” without worrying about whether it’s politically correct, poll-tested or popular.
Admitting you were wrong and apologizing may not be good politics, but it’s necessary when you want to lead. You’re never going to get things 100 percent right, but you should at least acknowledge when you get things wrong and try to learn from your mistakes.
But today’s politics demands you never give in, you never compromise, you never apologize and you never admit you are wrong.
As an opinion columnist, I realize that my opinion may not always reflect the reality of a situation. Maybe I don’t know enough about an issue or choose the wrong words. I’m not always right — because I’m human. I think our political leaders would do well to remember that they are human too, and they make mistakes.
Putting your fingers in your ears and insisting you are always right is the act of a child. Admitting your mistakes and learning from them is the act of an adult.
It’s also a mark of good leadership and something I hope the next president, and, indeed, all our leaders, practice.