Saying Sorry

Sometimes words speak louder than actions. In Canberra on Feb. 13, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd voiced regret "for the pain, suffering and hurt" of the country's disadvantaged Aboriginal minority. It was a cloudy morning, but the crowd outside Parliament House was in a sunny mood. People brown and white laughed, embraced and snapped photos. Said Mavis Garrett, 67, an Aboriginal woman from Queensland: "If I see Mr. Rudd, I think I'd just run up and give him a hug."

It was not just what Rudd said, but the way he said it. Rudd...

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