McKinney Tries Damage Control

Rep. Cynthia McKinney is scrambling to do some damage control - something she should have done long ago - by apologizing on the House floor:

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., expressed "sincere regret" Thursday for her altercation with a Capitol police officer, and offered an apology to the House.

"There should not have been any physical contact in this incident," McKinney said in brief remarks on the House floor. "I am sorry that this misunderstanding happened at all and I regret its escalation and I apologize."

McKinney's comments came after the case had been referred to a federal grand jury for possible prosecution.

She had previously insisted she had done nothing wrong, and accused police of "racial profiling." She is African-American and the police officer is white.

McKinney, 51, has a history of confrontations with officers.

After all the TV appearances and press conferences of the past few days, does anyone think this is sincere? According to Rush and the Hill newspaper, Rep. John Lewis of Georgia read her the riot act and told her to shut her mouth. We'll see if it works, but if she's indicted by the grand jury, it'll all start up again. No doubt about it.

UPDATE: How about throwing a little gas on the fire:

But even as McKinney appeared to be trying to put the issue to rest, a bodyguard she hired – reportedly a former Georgia state trooper – was raising another furor when he threatened a television reporter trying to interview McKinney outside the Capitol just minutes before she appeared on the House floor.

When the reporter from Cox Broadcasting tried to ask McKinney about the grand jury, the bodyguard told him, "I'm going to put your ass in jail. I'm a police officer," a videotape of the incident shows.

Asked if he worked for Capitol police, the man said, "I work for Miss McKinney."

Word that McKinney had hired a bodyguard roiled the ranks of the Capitol police who were worried that the guard was carrying a weapon. They said they are concerned about what the bodyguard might do if Capitol police challenged McKinney at a security checkpoint.