It’s instructive to analyze public apologies, and we had another chance a couple weeks ago at the sentencing of Kwame Kilpatrick, former Mayor of Detroit, who was found guilty by a federal jury in March of corruption, receiving bribes, failure to report income to the IRS, etc.

Mr. Kilpatrick apparently had quite a bit to say at the hearing, held October 11, 2013, before he was sentenced to serve 28 years in prison. Here are some excerpts:
“I want the city to heal. I want the city to prosper. I want the city to be great again. I’ve been a tremendous problem in getting that to happen… I’m ready to go, so the city can move on. The pressure of this job—and I’ve watched it eat up man after man—is enormous. It was this pride, yes, and this ego that took over… I tried to wear that on my sleeves. I really, really, really messed up with that… The people here are suffering. They’re hurting and I accept full responsibility for it.”

This is a pretty good apology. He seems to recognize the depth of his wrongdoing, and the effect that his actions had on so many others. He offers an explanation—job pressures, his ego—without making it an excuse. He seems willing to accept the consequence, that he needs to “go” so the city can heal.  He doesn’t “admit specifically” what he did wrong, one of the elements of Peacemaker Ministries’ “7 A’s of Confession,” nor does he ask for forgiveness (he says that his family has forgiven him, but he doesn’t ask his constituents for forgiveness). And, since he’s been sentenced for previous crimes, perhaps he’s said all of this before.

Today’s news that he’s appealing his sentence suggests maybe he still isn’t quite sorry enough.