Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2007 18:27:23 -0700
From: “Wallace Kaufman”
Subject: Cahoon-Cotten
Over the past 40 years observing Chatham politics I’ve heard and read volumes of hot and heavy debate, including many bitter personal assaults. That’s the nature of politics. What is exceedingly uncommon is the full admission of error, the full retraction, the complete apology unqualified by excuses, an honest reappraisal of the facts, and a sincere wish to atone and start again. Dan Cahoon engaged in a bitter and unfair personal attack, then quickly followed with all of the latter. It takes some courage and guts to eat that much crow so fast. I don’t recall any other example in Chatham politics (and few elsewhere) of how to restore civil debate.