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Biden’s apology to Roberts was a good, if gratuitous, move
By Lauren | February 2, 2009
Vice President Joe Biden ruffled a few feathers last week when he made a joke at the expense of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. About to swear in a roomful of federal appointees, Biden asked for a copy of the oath that he was about to administer. “My memory is not as good as Chief Justice Roberts’” Biden quipped, referring to the Chief Justice’s stumble in administering President Obama’s oath of office on Inauguration Day. Roberts wasn’t even in the room when Biden made the joke, but President Obama didn’t seem particularly amused and the media were all over the incident within hours, ensuring that Roberts would hear about it sooner or later.
Biden’s joke was relatively harmless, and the odds are good that Roberts wasn’t even particularly offended. After all, if the Chief Justice had carried the President’s oath of office on a card instead of trying to memorize it, he would have gotten it right in the first place and there would have been nothing to joke about. Roberts is a big boy, and undoubtedly knows that messing up the new President’s oath of office with the whole world watching was going to lead to a snide comment or two. (He’s lucky not to have become a permanent fixture on Saturday Night Live.) Nonetheless, Biden promptly called Roberts to apologize and, according to an aide, the two men had a good conversation.
It’s a pleasant surprise to praise our voluble Vice President for his tact - there have been plenty of times when his well-intentioned jokes have missed the mark, and this one was pretty mild compared to some of his other gaffes. But it was smart of Biden to recognize the possibility, however slim, that Roberts might have been offended and to take quick action to set things right. Biden acted on one of the fundamental truths about making an effective apology - if there’s a chance someone might be angry or hurt, there’s no point arguing that he or she “shouldn’t feel that way.” Just go ahead, admit the mistake, and apologize. In this case, Biden’s apology to Roberts probably wasn’t necessary … but it certainly was nice.
Topics: Apologies, Personal Ethics, ethics |
February 12th, 2009 at 1:56 am
[...] presents Biden?s apology to Roberts was a good, if gratuitous, move posted at The Business Ethics Blog, saying, “Even a small possibility of a slur is best [...]