The recent Lee Atwater biography that aired on Frontline might offer some clues into what regret of dirty politics ends up looking like.

What's more elitist- Kerry's posturing, or Stone's apathetic shrug of "maybe all those people wouldn't have died if I hadn't [acted]..."?

I don't get any real sense of regret here (or from Dowd, or McClellan, or Powell). Learning doesn't take place until behavior changes; if the culprits for this administration continue on their course without any active moral recompense, how can they expect absolution, from themselves or anyone else?

It's astonishing to imagine that by expressing regrets for the most egregious behavior that bought George W the White House, Stone exonerates himself. His offhandedness will earn him neither sympathy nor empathy.

Instead his attitude will generate anger among the many who now know him as a CRASS OPERATIVE. That Stone now chooses to point to GW as the source of all that is bad, from body count to the economy, wilfully ignores his own role in getting to both bad "ends".

I hope Stone is discredited sufficiently by this disclosure that he finds it hard to find pols who want his 'techniques' to get elected. Certainly his presence in a campaign going forward will be a "marker" that dirty tricks will prevail. We should watch the campaign managers as closely as we do the candidates!

So, Kerry was an elitist buffoon, while Bush was an elitist buffoon playing the role of a village idiot. And Stone chose the latter? Fine choice!

pencilbox-The recompense, although not moral, will come in the form of a blanket pardon by Bush for anyone, anywhere in the Bush administration for any crime committed or perceived. However, they should fear not. The Democrats, being to afraid of reprisal, would never dare to investigate or prosecute.

It can't be fun to realize that the blood of those fallen soldiers is indeed is on your hands, Mr Stone. Sleeping can't come easy these days.

You completely left out an important part of Stone's sleazy notoriety. I remember it well. I've been amused to see his public re-emergence the last few years. From Wikipedia (and this understates the situation): "In 1996, Stone resigned from a post as a volunteer spokesman in Robert Dole's campaign for president after The National Enquirer wrote that Stone had placed ads and pictures in racy publications and a website seeking sexual partners for himself and his second wife, Nydia. Stone denied the report.[8][7] On the Good Morning America program he said: 'An exhaustive investigation now indicates that a domestic employee who I discharged for substance abuse on the second time that we learned that he had a drug problem is the perpetrator who had access to my home, access to my computer, access to my password, access to my postage meter, access to my post-office box key.'[7] STONE HAS SINCE ADMITTED THAT THE ADS WERE AUTHENTIC.[6]" [Emphasis mine]

"In this business, if you don't pay your debts you're finished," Stone said."

Well here's hoping that the new business will be, "You played dirty, now you're finished". That should change the cavalier attitude.

Stone needn't take responsility for the Iraq war and the lives lost because of it. Just as Detroit can say that they're not to blame if they didn't address the dependence on oil earlier, it's the consumers' fault...one can also say that it wasn't the dirty tricks that got Bush elected, it was the all the voters who believed them.

Having just seen a documentary and read a lot about the late Lee Atwater, Dirty-Trickster Extraordinaire & former chairman of the GOP, this article is very timely. While some doubt Mr. Atwater's recantation of his escapades in helping certain Republicans get elected, I believe he was indeed sorry for the hurt he'd caused. Of course, this was all a result of his receiving a diagnosis of terminal cancer, so one wonders what he might have gotten up to if he'd lived. Nonetheless, while this may sound Pollyanna-ish, if the GOP really believes they're got right on their side, why do they almost always play down to the lowest common denominator and assume the American public consists of a bunch of dumbasses. Guess that's why they won't be running things.

I figure this republitard must have either just received a diagnosis of terminal cancer or a federal indictment.
Wankers.

I guess you should have thought of these things before you took stomped on peoples right to vote. When you take away a constitutional right of a voter to have their vote cast you become a part of the evil that has occupied our country for sometime now. You deserve to have your conversations listened to, so you can't help bring the kind of hate and despair to this country again.

So the point of this is that although he kinda feels guilty about what he did in 2000, he's going to keep on doing it? Evidently it isn't that 'disturbing' to him after all. Generally articles like this end with 'I can't believe I spent my adult life degrading American politics and lying professionally.'

But hey, if he doesn't feel bad, neither will I: I once heard a rumor from a friend of an associate of Roger Stone's administrative assistant that Mr. Stone may or may not have been implicated in a cross-country murder ring. Or not, can't bother to remember.

How about this "patriot," who is sorry he backed Bush but for some of the wrong reasons. He uttered not a word about basterdizing democracy and the sacred right to vote and have the vote counted. I know of people who left the United States in disgust over massive election fraud in 2000 and 2004, while the press pretended nothing of any serious consequence happened. In my mind, this guy and all the other criminals should be rounded up, prosecuted and put in jail for the rest of their lives. Yes, as an academic I know there has always been voter fraud by all political parties. However, what the public does not realize is that the Republicans honed the activity into a hard science practiced in all 50 states that disenfanchised more than six million people. Worse of all, the fraud gave us Bush, whom I call the illegitimate president with an illegitimate administration and illegitimate policies forced on the American people. So we got lies and more lies, superspying on citizens, war crimes and torture. I am sorry to be an American in those terms, but glowing inside with pride that they elected Obama. America dodged a big one, but will continue to suffer due to its disinterest in what has been going on in Dc for eight years. God help us if it ever happens again.
The most important issue facing democracy for the future is putting an end to voter fraud and criminalizing the activity as a first class felony with at least 30 years in prison.

lorijen - Bush never actually won the election in 2000. So, Stone needs to take responsibility.

When dirty tricks lose their effectiveness, campaigns will stop employing them. They work because the electorate is either easily fooled or tolerant. Tricks will end when voters react negatively to them.

I wish the candidate would discuss global poverty more. According to The Borgen Project:
$30 billion: Annual shortfall to end world hunger.
$540 billion: Annual U.S. Defense Budget

It's kind of late to be sorry, isn't it? The Repubs are out on their asses....He probably wouldn't be whining his sorry tune if they were still in power. Dems need to apply their energy into making this a great country again....with the financial collapse taking place right now, it is a great opportunity for accomplishing positive change. We shouldn't spend our energy on these Bush nincompoops although I think we should bring those that have committed real crimes to justice. Let's start with John Yoo, the Boalt Law School professor who advised Bush that the Geneva Convention was not necessary.

Well, Stone also joins a long list of GOP hatchet men who have had no problems apparently leaving their own "orientation" "in the closet" while supporting GOP candidates who are stridently "Social Conservative". Stone knew exactly what a Bush Cheney admin. would do on social issues like gay rights and he did not care. But now he does care about the Iraq war? No I think he is worried he will have less clients now.
He just proves he's a naive elitist self-hating buffoon. There is always room for forgiveness but it does seem like these types do their damage to others, make their money, and only then "find Jesus".

You helped put a man in power. A man who has ruined this country, ruined our reputation in the world, took from the working citizens in order to enrich his already-rich friends. A man who wrongly invaded a country with our troops, who were killed for his greed and vanity. People's lives are ruined financially, still the crooks prevail. This administration should have been impeached years ago.

I hope this guilt stays with you forever. You deserve this and more. Do you believe in Karma? I do.

I despise people like him who orchestrate hatchet politics. Only a man without a single shred of decency could spread lies like the 'whitey' tape rumor that plays to widen the racial divide in USA. If you really do feel remorse, then change your ways.

Funny isn't it, how low-lifes repent after the damage is done. Just like Atwater who saw the error of his ways late in his career (suffering from a terminal disease at the time, one should note), Stone now sees the error of his ways.
Not that he really repents his actions, but more in terms of who they benefit.
But I'm sorry, when someone stoops to the level that Stone did, calling Eliot Spiter's ancient father and threating him to gain political advantange, I cannot find it in my heart to forgive him for anything.
Political tricks, ala Dick Tuck are one thing, Stone's behavior can be labelled as nothing but reprehensible.

Save it. I hope you rot in hell.

ahh, so we have the newest lee atwater hoping that by now 'finding god' and wishing he didn't do what he reveled in doing, over and over again, that somehow he will be forgiven by the public, or by some higher power...

probably will not happen and there is already a cavern in hell where messrs atwater, rove, and this gentleman will spend eternity feasting on the bowel movements of those in the upper circles...

If this bastard really felt bad, he would give some thought to his career and who he is pimping for. It was obvious in 2000 that W was not qualified for office, and now look what happened. Everyone that voted for and supported W is to blame, because of his screaming unfitness for office. You cannot grow a conscience because your are suddenly discovered to be a selfish piece of sh----t. If this guy felt so bad, he would change his career and be struggling like the rest of us because of W's policies catering to the rich.

After reading what this human troll has to say about his career, i want to go wash my brain. It feels filthy.