On this morning’s “Fox News Sunday” program with host Chris Wallace, Mitt Romney took the high road and accepted an apology from Melissa Harris-Perry. (Video after the jump).
This came just one day after the MSNBC host apologized again, this time on air, for a recent segment on her program that devolved into ridicule of a photo that featured Governor Romney holding his adopted grandson, Kieran, who is black.
“Governor, this must be hurtful and I know you’re a classy guy and you don’t want to get into it,” Wallace prefaced, “but I’ve got to ask you – honestly, from the heart, how did you, and quite frankly how did Mrs. Romney feel when you heard that your little baby grandson Kieran was the target for political ridicule?”
“Well, first let me just note Chris, that we love this little guy a great deal. He was an answer to prayer, and we love that he is part of our family. He is part of our family,” Romney said.
“That being said, I recognize that people make mistakes,” Romney continued. “And the folks at MSNBC made a big mistake. And they’ve apologized for it. And that’s all you can ask for. I am going to move on from that. I am sure they want to move on from it. Look, I’ve made plenty of mistakes myself. And they’ve apologized for this. You know, I think we can go on from there.”
Wallace tried to press further: “You tend to speak from the head. I know Mrs. Romney tends to speak from the heart. I suspect she took this somewhat more personally. The idea that political discourse would include going after a little baby.”
Romney continued to respond with grace and class, while pointing out that children are beyond the line as political targets.
“Well, you know, I think people recognize, and the folks at MSNBC who have apologized recognize that people like me are fair targets. If you get in the political game, you can expect incoming. But children, you know, that’s beyond the line, and I think they understand that, and feel that as well. I think it’s a heartfelt apology. And I think for that reason, we hold no ill will whatsoever.”
After Wallace played a clip of Harris-Perry’s apology and asked for Romney’s reaction to it and to other comments that had been made during the week’s prior MSNBC segment, Romney stayed the high ground.
“I think her apology was clearly heartfelt, and we accept that,” Romney said, while declining to respond to the other comments made on the initial MSNBC segment.
Watch the full video below.
Romney’s response was a refreshing contrast to that of the initial display from MSNBC.
(Featured image credit: FOX News Sunday video clip, YouTube/thelittlelephant)
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