Good morning.
This was a week that gave Virginia a new governor, New Jersey the same one for another term, and ended with some big apologies.
Let's go to the "I'm sorry" roll first, starting with the biggie.
Obama's Sorry About All That
President Obama, in a White House interview with Chuck Todd of NBC News, last evening issued an apology to the American people for the disastrous rollout of the federal health care law.
Not only for the nearly inoperable online signup system, but also for falsely promising that the new law would not force anyone off insurance plans they like, or out of the care of doctors they are currently seeing.
Here's what he told Todd: "I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me. We've got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this."
Reports NBC: Obama has made repeated assurances that "if you like your health plan, you will be able to keep your health plan" with Obamacare.
Consumers who buy insurance on their own — about five percent of the population — are at risk of being forced off their current policies because their plans don't meet the new standards of the Affordable Care Act.
So, what now?
CNN notes that the president did not say whether he would push back the March 31 deadline to enroll or the penalty for those who do not purchase insurance.
CBS Apology For Benghazi Report
The network has been under fire for serious questions about the veracity of a source key to a recent 60 Minutes report on the 2012 attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.
Correspondent Lara Logan relied on an FBI source who gave an account to CBS that, according to the New York Times, contradicted a report on the attack he gave to the federal agency.
On Thursday, the network said it was "reviewing" the account of the source, "Morgan Jones."
But by Friday morning Logan appeared on CBS This Morning to apologize, and report that the network will correct the account when 60 Minutes airs Sunday. CBS has posted the apology here.
Rand Paul's Way With Words
GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has been sort of apologetic about plagiarizing others' work in some of his writings, including a now-cancelled column he penned for the Washington Times.
But in an amusing twist, the New York Times this morning reports that Paul himself has been plagiarized, and by at least one of his most ardent supporters.
"The campaign website of a Republican candidate for the United States Senate in North Carolina, Greg Brannon, who Mr. Paul supports, includes descriptions of various policy positions that match those of Mr. Paul's 2010 campaign website word for word," the Times reports.
And, finally, some stories of interest as we slide into the weekend:
*My colleague, Peter Overby, takes a look at the big money that flowed into Virginia for the gubernatorial race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe, a longtime Clinton rainmaker who won, and Tea Party Republican Ken Cuccinelli, the state attorney general.
Overby reports that far-flung billionaires played a big role in the Virginia gubernatorial race. San Francisco environmentalist Tom Steyer and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent more than $2 million each to help elect Democrat Terry McAuliffe as governor.
Listen to Peter here.
*The Boston Globe reports that former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican who lost his 2012 reelection bid to Democrat Elizabeth Warren, is being recruited by the Republican National Committee to run again — but in neighboring New Hampshire.
*The government shutdown COST what? ($2 billion)
*The Rev. Billy Graham is how old? (95)
*And, finally, when will one of America's once-and-hopefully-future great cities likely learn its bankruptcy fate? (Late next week or after, when a judge's decision is expected in Detroit's bankruptcy eligibility trial scheduled to end today.)
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