Some apologies are necessary and sincere. The apology was quick and private after Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller denigrated the military experience of Republican Sen. John McCain last week.

But too often, political apologies are public spectacles.

When the Florida legislature apologized for slavery, it came decades after the last slave had gone to heaven. It did no one any good, but it sure made legislators feel morally superior.

Apologizing for someone else's actions is stealing a little glory. How smug. How self-satisfied. The mea culpa is all about me.

Almost as bad is the call for an apology. Someone says something that someone doesn't like, and the offended party demands an apology.