Dear Ted: Thanks for the invitation to question four distinguished liberal journalists. But 11:30 PM is long past my bedtime.

Amen, sister, ... All apologies to Tom Cruise.

Bad excuses are worse than none

Nothing produces such an effect as a good platitude

If you want the last word, apologize

It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them.