by Jeff Burgar

Politicians, especially our local folks, are quite good at putting their foots in their mouths.

Then, of course, after some completely boneheaded muttering comes forth, they are the first to deny they ever said those ridiculous words!

When the comments cannot be argued, as on tape or video, there is always the useful excuse, “What came out of my mouth wasn’t what I meant to say!”

It is not often local politicians apologize for making a mistake. But, at the higher levels of public office these days, apologies come left and right. Usually, only after some dastardly media commentator or newspaper columnist points out something really inane.

Which is pretty well what is happening with poor Brian Jean, leader of the Alberta Wildrose Party.

Jean, for those who don’t much bother with news, getting their information from Facebook or the other side of the coffee shop table, made a big boo boo last week. He was speaking to a town hall meeting in his hometown of Fort McMurray. One of Jean’s pet projects the last dozen or so years was getting a senior’s long term care centre built in Fort McMurray.

As recorded on tape, Jean says, “Let’s be honest. I’ve been beating this drum for 10, 11, 12 years now, so I will continue to beat it, I promise.”

There is a slight pause. Then he says, “But it is against the law to beat Rachel Notley.”

Yes, it is a lame attempt at humour. And the straight faced Jean is a bad joke-teller. He would get fewer chuckles doing stand-up at Yuk-Yuks than The Grim Reaper.

Seriously, is this something over which to throw the fellow under the next bus? Not only that, but people right at the meeting say there is nothing to get upset about.

One lady is quoted on CBC as saying, “Unless they were in the room, they have no idea how it was.”

Regardless, shortly after concluding his speech, Jean came back in front of the crowd and apologized. Good for him. Most politicians these days find out the next day what foot-in-mouth disease is like, and then wait longer to see how bad the heat is going to get. Jean apologized immediately, forthrightly and cleanly.

Not surprisingly, media chumps still rushed to crucify Jean. Oh, the horror of all this! And not surprisingly, more media chumps rushed to spread wide and far this horrible, horrible thing.

Says one observer, who happens to be a NDP supporter, “This may be the end of his hopes to lead the united right.”

Oh my, oh my, oh my.

By the time you read this, perhaps a week after it happened, we will all have moved on to the next scandal, flub, hullabaloo or what have you. Maybe another Trump blow-up. Maybe another Hillary Clinton connive to go along with her previous connives, influence pedaling.

And you know what? Right now you aren’t hearing many direct, instant and unconditional apologies from those folks, are you?