When President George W. Bush’s opponents were crying loudly for him to acknowledge his mistakes and apologize, I remember suggesting that it would be a pretty foolish move. The people most likely to be impressed by a politician honestly admitting mistakes and promising to do better in the future already supported Bush. We understood that he was human, and didn’t call for his head the first time something went wrong. On the other hand, Bush’s opponents would pull words out of context and use the admission of a mistake against him.

On further examination, I’m starting to realize that I was wrong. It doesn’t matter what is said, because if you don’t say something wrong, they’ll make it up!

Power Line‘s John “Hindrocket” Hindraker comments on a speech by Bill Moyers, reprinted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Moyers gave the speech when accepting an environmental award at Harvard Medical School. Among other things (read the whole post), Moyers reported on President Ronald Reagan’s first Secretary of the Interior, James Watt:

Remember James Watt, President Ronald Reagan’s first secretary of the interior? My favorite online environmental journal, the ever-engaging Grist, reminded us recently of how James Watt told the U.S. Congress that protecting natural resources was unimportant in light of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. In public testimony he said, “after the last tree is felled, Christ will come back.”

Beltway elites snickered. The press corps didn’t know what he was talking about. But James Watt was serious.

John Hindraker writes that he knew that wasn’t right, but he couldn’t find any evidence as to what was said (unfortunately, not everything is available online, though we like to believe it is):

I did some quick Google searches without finding anything noteworthy; in particular, I couldn’t find Mr. Watt’s Congressional testimony online. I put the matter aside, not having time to pursue it further.

Friday morning, I was sitting in my office when my telephone rang. On the phone was a soft-spoken man who said, “I’m calling for Mr. John Hinderaker.”

“Speaking,” I responded, in the brusque tone I use when fielding cold calls.

The man said, “My name is James Watt.”

Mr. Watt forwarded the transcripts of the only meeting in which he mentioned the Lord’s Second Coming:

Secretary Watt: Absolutely. That is the delicate balance the Secretary of the Interior must have, to be steward for the natural resources for this generation as well as future generations.

I do not know how many future generations we can count on before the Lord returns, whatever it is we have to manage with a skill to leave the resources needed for future generations.

(Emphasis mine)

Moyers’ assertion that Watts said that “protecting natural resources was unimportant in light of the imminent return of Jesus Christ” is not a misrepresentation of what Watt’s actually said — it’s an outright lie. The fact that it would get reprinted in what many would view as a “professional” newspaper (Powerline’s other run-ins with the Strib may or may not make you doubt the professional status of the paper) is just silly. The fact that it would get reported in two (See the update at the end of the post) is ludicrous. Next thing you know, they’ll be reporting that a soldier has been kidnapped, based solely on a photograph of an army toy.

Oh, wait a minute…