The trend: "Sorry, will an apology do?"

HAVE YOU NOTICED how many remorseful individuals are offering apologies these days before going quietly to their rooms? The latest to be reported came from Gregg Steinhafel, the chairman, CEO and president of Target. Addressing the swift reaction from pro-gay rights activists to his company's contribution of $150,000 to an outfit that supports the anti-gay marriage gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota, Steinhafel apologized to gays and lesbians for a company decision that "affected many of you in a way I did not anticipate, and for that I am genuinely sorry." (Doesn't a big retailer like Target have a PR person on staff to anticipate what the boss said he didn't anticipate?

Meantime, Irvin Good Jr., the owner of Goodtime Amusements, apologized for a "shooter game" at a carnival in Pennsylvania, in which the target was unmistakably President Obama. Good said it wasn't Barack, shut it down anyway and...apologized.

That NAACP, Obama, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Bill O"Reilly all apologized to Shirley Sherrod - after she was fired.

Rep. Joe Barton of Texas apologized to BP for what he considered to be a shakedown by the Feds.

Overseas, Pope Benedict apologized to the Irish families who were victims of sex abuse by priests.

Tony Blair apologized for the Irish potato famine.

Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian big-shot, apologized to Jews for saying that Mussolini never killed anyone. He also demanded an apology from his wife Veronica for telling newspapers that she wanted a divorce. Sorry, Silvio. No chance of that.

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