How unsatisfying is George Ryan's official apology?
Very.
Issued by letter late Friday afternoon, when as few people as possible would see it, the apology came and went over the weekend buried under a blizzard of other news.
"Attorney Joseph Power Jr., who won a $100 million settlement for the Willis family in 1999, called the timing of the apology 'a bit suspicious'," the Tribunereported.
Or could it just be coincidence that Ryan was moved to apologize not just at the exact time that he has filed commutation papers with the president but after public outcry after filing those papers that he never said he was sorry?
The Tribune notes that "Since his 2006 conviction, Ryan has maintained his innocence. Last month his wife, Lura Lynn, was quoted as saying that Ryan still had a "clear conscience" about his time in office. Ryan's lawyer, former Gov. Jim Thompson said Friday that she was referring to statements her husband made at the time of his conviction."
Right.
But that's not the biggest stretch.
"Thompson insisted that the letter was not written to help Ryan's clemency petition, but since his client wrote it with the help of his son, he would file it with the president anyway."
You know, as long as he wrote it, might as well!
But when pressed, even Thompson indirectly admitted the letter was inadequate.
"The letter refers only to Ryan's 'mistakes,' but Thompson said Ryan meant 'mistakes in the general sense - they're obviously crimes."
It's still not clear at all, though, that Ryan sees it that way.
