The Apology Shuffle Steven Wynn in the San Francisco Chronicle writes about the recent spate of apologies in public life.

Key graf: "Whether it's a married New Jersey governor with a secret gay sex life, Yankee first baseman Jason Giambi juiced up on steroids or a scholar caught cribbing from someone else's research, the apology has become mandatory, well-scripted behavior. CBS newsman Dan Rather (for the botched Bush National Guard story), Harvard University President Lawrence Summers (for his remarks about women's aptitude for math and science) and just the other day Mexican President Vicente Fox (a comparison of the Mexican and black work ethic) have all performed their public rites recently.

Wynn is cynical about this; I'm not. Granted, the apologies aren't always quickly delivered, and sometimes they're less-than-sincere. Nevertheless, there's nothing wrong with apologizing. Even imperfect ones are better than nothing.  ¶ 10:05 AM