This might just be me, but I don't like wordsy apologies. I don't like apologies with intricate explanations. Lehrer's point is that a lot of people try to sof

This might just be me, but I don't like wordsy apologies. I don't like apologies with intricate explanations. Lehrer's point is that a lot of people try to soften apologies and remove some accountability, as if the apology is just part of a status quo, and he's worried people will think he's trying to do that; really, he's just trying to make a record of his actions. But honestly, I think he's got it a bit wrong. People don't distrust verbose apologies because they're intended to be excuses, but because they are excuses by design. If Lehrer said something to the effect of, "I fucked up. I'm sorry. I understand you may never trust me again and I'll have to deal with that." I would trust his apology much more than I do now. But providing an explanation, however benign it is (especially in a highly media fueled instance like this where not much explanation isn't already known) garners sympathy from the audience and wraps the apology in something tolerable for the author. I don't think it should be tolerable. But that's just my thought on it.