My must read of the day is "Exclusive: Obama personally apologizes for Americans losing health coverage" from NBC News:
"I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me," he told NBC News in an exclusive interview at the White House.
"We've got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this."
Obama’s comments come 10 days after NBC News’ Lisa Myers reported that the administration has known since the summer of 2010 that millions of Americans could lose their insurance under the law.
I can't decide if I'm glad to have this apology or not. Part of me thinks some sort of apology is better than nothing, because at the very least it means the president recognizes that people are upset.
On the other hand, this is not a real apology. The president took no responsibility for the problem. He didn't explain why he repeatedly made assurances that individuals would be able to keep their health care plans after a 2010 regulation change made that highly unlikely.
Then the apology was followed by the defensive clause that "most of the folks who are going to—who got these cancellation letters, they'll be able to get better care at the same cost or cheaper in these new marketplaces."
Saying you’re sorry then excusing the action doesn’t make for much of an apology.
When I was a kid, and I did something I knew wasn't a good idea, when it went south and I got in trouble I would say, "Oh no, I'm so sorry!"
My Dad would say, "You're not sorry. You're just sorry you got caught."
Obama isn't sorry. He's sorry he got caught.