Bob McDonnell Apologizes For Slavery Omission In 'Confederate History Month' Proclamation

Huffington Post

Nick Wing and Michael Falcone

First Posted: 04- 7-10 01:55 PM

Updated: 04- 7-10 06:24 PM

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's apologized on Wednesday for declaring April as "Confederate History Month," but failing to mention slavery anywhere in his proclamation.
"The proclamation issued by this Office designating April as Confederate History Month contained a major omission. The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed," McDonnell said in a statement.
The newly-minted GOP governor added: "The Confederate History Month proclamation issued was solely intended to promote the study of our history, encourage tourism in our state in advance of the 150th Anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, and recognize Virginia's unique role in the story of America."
But earlier, McDonnell told the Washington Post that slavery was not "significant" enough to be included in the proclamation:

McDonnell said Tuesday that the move was designed to promote tourism in the
state, which next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the
war. McDonnell said he did not include a reference to slavery because "there
were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously,
it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I
thought were most significant for Virginia."

Full Story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/07/bob-mcdonnell-leaves-out_n_528733.html