James Fallows: “In the last year of his life, Atwater publicly apologized for tactics like these. He told Tom Turnipseed, the object of his ‘jumper cables’ attack, that he viewed the episode as ‘one of the low points’ of his career. He apologized to Dukakis for the ‘naked cruelty’ of the Willie Horton ad.”

“And in a private act of repentance that has remained private for nearly three decades, he told Raymond Strother that he was sorry for how he had torpedoed Gary Hart’s chances of becoming president.”