Politician who became national joke apologizes

Kirby Delauter, the Maryland politician who became a national joke earlier this week when he insisted that a local newspaper not use his name without authorization, has more than redeemed himself.

“Use my name again unauthorized and you’ll be paying for an attorney,” Delauter wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. “Your rights stop where mine start.”

But just three days later, Delauter did something politicians seem reluctant to do. He apologized without blaming someone else and without watering it down.

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“We’re glad he finally saw the light,” Terry Headlee, The Frederick News-Post’s managing editor, said. “Based on the reader reaction we have received, this was not going to end well for him. And if nothing else it’s a good lesson to wait a day before hitting the send key on an angry email or posting. That’s something that a lot of people, including myself, can relate to.”