by Scott Ott
(2005-06-22) -- An aide to Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-IL, inadvertently emailed to reporters the first draft of a speech that he delivered on the Senate floor yesterday.
The Senator apparently edited the final version before delivering the tearful apology over his recent comparison of U.S. personnel at Guantanamo Bay to the people who ran death camps and gulags.
The following are some comparisons between excerpts of the speech Sen. Durbin delivered, and the first draft:
Durbin: "I'm sorry if anything that I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust..."
First Draft: "I compared our personnel to the savages who ran death camps in Nazi Germany and Pol Pot's Cambodia as well as Stalin's gulags. I was wrong. My irrational statements tore open wounds and cheapened the legacy of millions of innocent victims of tyranny."
Durbin:"I have come to understand that was a very poor choice of words...Some may believe that my remarks crossed a line. To them, I extend my heartfelt apologies."
First Draft: "A reasonable person can only conclude that I'm either reckless, stupid or determined to sabotage the war on terror. This is about more than mere words. This is a condition of the heart, a mindset and a reckless ambition that blinded me to the destructive power of my words."
Durbin: "I'm also sorry if anything I said in any way cast a negative light on our fine men and women in the military."
First Draft: "I might as well be on staff at Al Jazeera. What a windfall I produced for the recruiting department at Al Qaeda. At least an improvised explosive device can only harm in one place at a time. My words endangered our troops everywhere, all at once. My apology may mend political fences, but it can't heal lacerations and burns."
Durbin: "I don't want anything that I may have said to detract from the love for my country, my respect for those who bravely risk their lives each day for our security, and this Senate which I am so honored to serve as a member."
First Draft: "It's tempting to use this apology speech as a backhanded way of repeating my baseless allegations about Gitmo, and as a thinly-veiled attempt to reinforce my own public image as a patriot. But what kind of man would do that? Only a charlatan not worthy of the title 'Senator'."
Durbin: "I offer my apology for those offended by my words. I promise to speak out on the issues that I think are important to the people of Illinois and to the nation."
First Draft: "I offer my resignation from the U.S. Senate. I plan to seek a non-political job so I can get back in touch with real Americans and find out why they love this country so much."
A spokesman for Sen. Durbin denied knowledge of the draft speech.
The aide who wrote the first draft, and no longer works for Sen. Durbin, said, "I was asked to write an apology. Apparently I have much to learn about what that word really means."
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