The phrase is generally deployed in statements or speeches to manage crises or mitigate public relations damage, often after scandals.
The level of sincerity behind the sentiment can vary, and critics frequently scrutinize its usage as potentially being a tactical maneuver rather than a genuine admission of fault or responsibility.
Richard Nixon’s Checkers speech is a classic example of the tactic.
More on “Deep Regret”
A classic form of non-apology apology, in which the politician does not actually express contrition.
Politicians or officials are frequently in the news for some-thing they said, or did, which was deemed offensive by someone. Depending on the severity of their misstep, after a delay comes a message of deep regret, which if parsed closely isn’t much of an apology.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid found himself forced into this ritual early in 2010, upon publication of the book Game Change. The Nevada lawmaker apologized, in a way, for making racially insensitive remarks about Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. Authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann quoted Reid as saying privately that Obama, as a black candidate, could be successful in part to his “light-skinned” appearance and speaking patterns “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”
In a statement to CNN, Reid said, “I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words.” (“Poor choice of words,” incidentally, has become the standard response to “I’m sorry what I said caused such an uproar.” So has the passive-voice “mistakes were made” that is often attributed to Nixon’s White House during Watergate but actually stems from the Reagan-era Iran-Contra scandal.)
“Deep regret” also pops up in announcements of political resignations. Generally speaking, it means someone that a politician is genuinely sad to see depart. Someone who was forced out or encouraged to step down, on the other hand, often merits a simple “regret.” When embarrassing income-tax problems led former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle to with-draw his name in 2009 as the nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, President Barack Obama gave him the regrets-only treatment.
From Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes © 2014 Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark.
Use of “Deep Regret” in a sentence
CNN (January 10, 2010): “I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words.”
The Palm Beach Post (January 10, 2018): “our longtime friendship evolved to a level that we deeply regret”
Patch (December 2011): “I want to express my deep regret and apologies to my constituents, the Republican party, my fellow legislators, friends and most importantly, my family.”