Clinton Sorry for ‘Drunks’ Metaphor

OTTAWA —  After President Clinton saluted the common efforts by the United States and Canada to end ethnic fighting in the Balkans, he then stirred up a flurry when he addressed the difficulty of helping “my forbears in Northern Ireland get over 600 years of religious fights.”

“Every time they make an agreement to do it, they’re like a couple of drunks walking out of the bar for the last time--when they get to the swinging door they turn around and go back in and say, ‘I just can’t quite get there.’ ”

Within hours, the White House distributed a two-sentence statement by the president: “Earlier today, in a discussion of the Irish peace process, I used a metaphor that was inappropriate. I want to express my regret for the offense my remark caused.”