Stop Me Before I Vote Again

Apparently Jesse Jackson has had an epiphany, foreshadowed here some weeks ago:

Jackson also says something about how [Obama] was "going to get his (twin objects of male anatomy) cut off."

Jackson, who recalled his remark as, "The senator is cutting off his you-know-what with black people," expressed deep regrets for saying it, even in what he thought was a "private conversation."

That Jackson and his inadvertently-public private conversations! Unfortunately, what he has to say in private is usually a lot more interesting than what he says in public. His scandalous "Hymietown" comment, which was arguably rather perceptive as to the facts though offensively phrased, famously led to his own self-castration moment.

Now, alas, he's groveling again:

"For any harm or hurt that this hot mic private conversation may have caused, I apologize. My support for Senator Obama's campaign is wide, deep and unequivocal. I cherish this redemptive and historical moment."

The difference between the Hymietown moment and this one is, of course, that this time Jackson was a) on the money about the facts, and b) chose the right words.

What he's apologizing for, then, is not saying something untrue, or using an injurious term. He's apologizing for getting off the reservation... again.

Kind of a tragedy, really -- his capacity and persistent impulse to get off the reservation are in fact his most appealing qualities, and he always finds himself doing penance for his most conspicuous virtue.