President Bush accepted responsibiity for the federal goverment's belated response to Katrina. Gen Strock, head of the US Army Corps of Engineers, accepted responsibility for the failure of the levees.

I heard it again in October 2006. Dennis Hastert took responsibility for the Republican Party's failure to police itself. President Bush complimented Hastert for taking responsibility.


But it means nothing. Responsibility is meaningless when there is no action.

It's easy to be responsible when you don't even have to say you are sorry much less make restitution or accept punishment.

A truely responsible action would be to make restitution to the people whose lives your negligence has affected. Anything less is irresponsible.