In the case of the pizza CEO, the headline is what is misleading, making the apology sound like an admission.

In the case of the representative, it's a case of the denial sounding like an admission.

For the pizza man, it is CEO of Papa John's, John Schnatter, who rightfully apologized for an employee (or ex-employee, as he noted) leaving a voicemail of a customer after butt-dialing him and going on a racist rant about his supposedly low $5 tip... not that low for a $15 order, by the way.

Talk about stupid. The delivery man and the co-worker who laughed at the rant were fired, and Schnatter apologized. All seems right and proper.

However, the long-embattled CEO (fighting weakly against Obamacare by threatening the hours of his employees, being targeted by Deadspin for appearing drunk at the NCAA Final Four) did not get a nice headline.

"Papa John's CEO apologizes for racist rant," read clickondetroit.com's headline. Ouch. I saw that and thought, well, there he goes again.

The subhead clears it up, but the headline on the homepage had me thinking he was the racist, something I based on prior news coverage about him in recent years. I don't think he's racist, but he is from the South and he's had headlines about intoxication and the president. Throw in the restaurant business, and one thinks of Cracker Barrel and Waffle House lawsuits.

Glad to know he's toeing the right line here, though I still prefer Papa Romano's.

Next up, Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann says she's quitting Congress, well not quitting, but she's not running for reelection, having squeaked out a meager victory in 2010.

The often-embattled Congresswoman posted a youtube video explaining reasons that did not impact her decision to leave the House.

It is not because she fears losing. It is not because of investigations into prior campaigns expense reporting, related to her short-lived attempt at the presidency. She goes into deep details about expectations she had her staff obey laws. She says that "eight years is long enough."

The weird thing about the video is that it is polished and filled with background music that it sounds like a campaign ad. Less than a minute in she starts the denials, making me think she is fleeing the scene. So what does she have planned next, TV commentary and a book, or some other seat? I'm guessing she's cashing in.

Here is the video:

America is a place where people can rebound mightily from great falls, but lately, it is seeming more forgiving than ever.

Politicians who market themselves as having better values, or at least the ability to know what values citizens should follow, have been proven scoundrels yet have rebounded.

The latest is in South Carolina, where the one time disgraced governor Mark Sanford won a seat on the U.S. Senate. He had lied about where he was, hiding an affair with a woman he will now marry. His divorce has been brutal, including a recent police incident for violating a stay-away order. Yet, he won.

Now, disgraced former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner is seeking the NYC mayor's seat. He left Congress after lying about tweeting nasty photos and thoughts to a young woman. He claimed to have been hacked, prompting many others coming out about his transgressions.


But I don't think voters are forgiving. I think they are forgetting, or rather ignoring.

That's one reason these recent scandals are hurting the president's popularity. People who like Barack Obama, they like him. People who hate him, they hate him. No one is changing their minds or looking for news that attempts to take a middle of the road search for the truth approach.

And don't look for middle-of-the-voters to mind the intrusions into the media, which is as reviled as much as the president.

According to the www.washingtontimes.com, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner asked, who is going to jail over the scandal at the IRS?

I hope no one.

If they do go to jail, it should be for a crime. A scandal is a public embarrassment, such as when Tiger Woods was caught by his wife while cheating on her. Some states used to make that a crime, but no one wanted him to go to jail. He lost some endorsements and his swing, for a while, but he didn't commit a crime.

It's up to Congress to make a law that prevents such targeting of groups by the IRS, if there isn't such a law already. Let's make sure that is taken care of, Mr. Speaker.

As for firings, as many want, yes, that's appropriate for public embarrassment or hurting the trust people should have in your organization.

Ok, these two headlines active right now on the freep.com are bringing back painful memories.

First is the obvious kick to the gut of everything decent in public life: Sam Riddle, convicted of corruption and serving time for his role in a bribery scheme in Detroit and Southfield, will be teaching an ethics course in federal prison.

Second is one that hurts the heart, as Matt Millen — he who boldly led the Lions through their darkest decade in what has been a half century of mostly misery — is declaring that many NFL teams would be interested in Ohio State's troubled QB, Terrelle Pryor. Avoid him like the plague if Millen would be interested!

Oh well, at least I can read Kwame Kilpatrick's autobiography and fell better about myself as I watch society wash down the drain.