A Day Later And Many Dollars Short

The fallout from the North Carolina Attorney General's report on the Duke case continues to reach far and wide. Still, Mike Nifong has been silent on the report, as has the accuser (and she's not going to face charges for her part in this mess).

Some people, like John Podhoretz are naming her and are calling her out. He thinks public shaming is in order, in addition to the possibility of criminal charges, though he notes that AG Cooper has already noted that no such charges will be forthcoming.

Meanwhile, two people who were quite vocal about the Duke non-rape case, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, have also been quiet about the turn of events and complete exoneration of the trio. Where are their apologies? They put their considerable energies into defending the accuser even as her story was coming apart at the seams.

Guess who's asking that question. Don Imus. Yes, that Don Imus who's busy losing his simulcast operation and is expecting to be fired by CBS at any time.

It's a good question, but why is it up to Imus to ask that question in defense of his own indefensible statements about the Rutgers lady's basketball team? Why haven't other media outlets and journalists asked that question? After all, Sharpton and Jackson have made quite a few inflammatory and derogatory statements over the years and have not been held accountable for their actions, and yet they want to go on a witchhunt.

Here's Sharpton today:

'It is our feeling that this is only the beginning. We must have a broad discussion on what is permitted and not permitted in terms the airwaves...

So, it's a broad discussion that Sharpton wants. He has no problem demanding Imus be fired, but when it comes to the much larger issue of misogynistic statements and derogatory comments against women and minorities by others in the media and entertainment field, he's looking to have a discussion? Where are the demands to fire those involved in the creation, production, and distribution of music that is derogatory of women and minorities?

Who is Sharpton to demand such things? Who is Sharpton to pass judgment on what others say.

Editor and Publisher has a long list of losers and possible winners in the Duke case. The media didn't distinguish itself over the case either, choosing to sensationalize the racial aspects of the case and ignored the clear problems with the case from the outset. There were several in the media and online who didn't succumb to the sensationalism and instead engaged in investigative journalism including the late Ed Bradley, whose piece on 60 Minutes showed the case for the farce that it was.

The calls to disbar Nifong have been growing. Well, join the club. Anyone who has been following this case for months knows by now that Nifong's actions were indefensible and the withholding of exculpatory evidence is one of the biggest no-nos in the criminal justice system.

UPDATE:
Durham DA Mike Nifong has issued a statement. He's apologizing, though the damage has been done by his abject failures and compounding error on error:

The local prosecutor who charged three Duke lacrosse players with raping a stripper apologized to the athletes Thursday, acknowledging that the North Carolina attorney general's decision to drop the case was correct.

"To the extent that I made judgments that ultimately proved to be incorrect, I apologize to the three students that were wrongly accused," Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong said in a statement.

While we're on the subject of apologies, where's one from the NYT for their biased coverage?