will gillard "man up" and apologise. bolt has

I apologised yesterday on this blog and on 2GB to Mal Brough, the former Liberal minister and now candidate for Fisher. I apologise here again.

I made a mistake. I believed the Prime Minister. I jumped to a conclusion.

I believed her when she said a sexist menu had been featured at a fundraising dinner for Brough:

Mr Abbott personally has gone and stood next to signs that describe me in a sexist way. We’ve had the young Liberals hosting a function where jokes were cracked about the death of my father. And now, we have Mr Brough and [Opposition Treasurer] Mr [Joe] Hockey at a function with this grossly sexist and offensive menu on display. Join the dots.

I assumed that when Brough apologised for the menu he was implicitly acknowledging it was indeed on display.

Yes, the menu was sexist and I condemned it. Still do.

But this is the Australia Day mini race riot all over again.

Back then, a Gillard staffer helped to spread a lie about Tony Abbott’s comments on the Aboriginal tent embassy, and had furious Aboriginal protesters steered to an Australia Day function at which Abbott and Gillard were present. The intent was to divide Australians and make Abbott seem racist.

This time Gillard has helped to spread a seeming lie about the menu. The intent is to make Abbott seem sexist.

The facts.

Brough says he did not see the menu. There is no evidence he did.

Guest of honor Joe Hockey says he did not see the menu. There is no evidence he did.

The man who wrote the menu, restaurant owner Joe Richards, says he did not display the menu in the restaurant or circulate it. There is no evidence he did.

Richards says the menu was a private joke between him and his son. There is no evidence he shared it with Brough.

The part-time chef who leaked the menu was not there at the time and did not see the menu being circulated. Although a Leftist, he has no evidence that Brough knew of the menu.
Yes, Brough, Richards and Hockey may all be lying. But there is no evidence to show they have told anything else but the truth. They are owed the benefit of any doubt.

They have been framed.

Gillard has slimed Brough and Abbott on zero proof. She should apologise, too.

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/