The Washington Post on Arkin

Finally, a word from The Washington Post's Ombudsman on William Arkin, their anti-military blogger.

Arkin apologized. He said he was "dead wrong" to use the word "mercenary," that it "is an insult and pejorative, and it does not accurately describe the condition of the American soldier today. I sincerely apologize to anyone in the military who took my words literally."

Arkin's "apology" can be seen clearly here, in his post "The arrogant and intolerant speak out," reacting to the negative comments he received from his original inflammatory post. Note his lack of contriteness:

I was dead wrong in using the word mercenary to describe the American soldier today. These men and women are not fighting for money with little regard for the nation. The situation might be much worse than that: Evidently, far too many in uniform believe that they are the one true nation. They hide behind the constitution and the flag and then spew an anti-Democrat, anti-liberal, anti-journalism, anti-dissent, and anti-citizen message that reflects a certain contempt for the American people.

But Ombudsman Deborah Howell offers:

Readers usually take things literally. And an editor should have told him to take out the word. That's what editors are for: They keep opinion writers from making fools of themselves.

More from Hot Air here.