Steve Chapman in defense of Obama's Apologies

Columnist Steve Chapman takes Republicans and conservatives to task for criticizing President Obama over apologizing for America's mistakes. Chapman points out that other presidents have admitted to our country's past mistakes, even Reagan, so Barack Obama shouldn't be treated any differently. I can go with Mr. Chapman on that.

It's important to understand mistakes of the past. As a black man, with decendants among the native Americans, I could go on and on about the misdeeds of America past. But to go on and on about it? What ends are served by that? That really is the question.

What is the goal of Mr. Obama's repeated apologies?

Some would say that it's because the president is just trying to "repair America's damaged image." Of course. George W. Bush made everyone hate us. Obama must let the world know that America really isn't evil. Kool-aid.

It's no surprise then that some on the right see the apologies as political gamesmanship and appeasement of the far left. Mr. Obama can't seem to get enough of "blame Bush." Whenever he does it he scores points with the MoveOn.org/Daily KOS/Code Pink crowd.

Also among the apology critics are those who believe apolgizing is symptomatic of the president's deeper conviction. This is Mr. Obama conviction that America is still flawed, fundamentally flawed, so flawed that she needs to be "fundamentally transformed."

Mr. Chapman has to see that some of the criticism is bigger than the president as a man or even a few of his actions. It's a larger criticism about our political leader's outlook, ideology and policy.