Mel Gibson's Apology Tour Begins

For the second day in a row Mel Gibson has issued an apology for anti-Semitic comments he made while being arrested for DUI. You can read today's statement here. One key paragraph in this statement poses a challenge to those in the Jewish community:

I'm not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one on one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing.

In some ways this puts Jewish leaders in a box. If they choose to shun Gibson and deny him the reconciliation he's seeking, theyll look pretty petty. I hope some high profile Jewish leaders take him up on it and that the two can sincerely make amends with one another. What I wouldn't like to see is another Trent Lott moment where Mel is trotted out in various formats to do his apology over and over (such as Lott's appearance on BET). That didn't serve Lott well, and wouldn't serve Gibson either.

Gibson is a troubled guy, despite all of his worldly success, and we can only hope he can find a recovery program that will work for him.