Pat Robertson Apologizes... Sort Of

According to CNN, Pat Robertson - whose remarks about Ariel Sharon's stroke lead to a firestorm of criticism - has given a formal apologiy letter to Omni Sharon, Ariel Sharon's son.

"My zeal, my love of Israel and my concern for the future safety of your nation led me to make remarks which I can now view in retrospect as inappropriate and insensitive in light of a national grief experienced because of your father's illness," Robertson wrote.
In his letter, Robertson expressed "profound sympathy" for Sharon, who is making slight improvements after the cerebral hemorrhage he suffered last week. Robertson also called the 77-year-old leader "a kind, gracious and gentle man" who was "carrying an almost insurmountable burden of making decisions for his nation."
He added, "I ask your forgiveness and the forgiveness of the people of Israel for saying what was clearly insensitive at the time."

So, he is sorry for the timing, but definitely NOT for the content of the remarks. Ironically, I'm betting that this generates a lot of criticism from Arabs, since characterizing Sharon as a "kind, gracious, and gentle man" is hardly in line with his reputation for his actions during the wars of the early history of Israel.