A pound of flesh extracted. . .

. . .Michelle Malkin congratulates all real Americans for caring enough about the sovereignty of their nation to get worked into a letter-writing lather about an ad in a Mexican magazine. Quoth Malkin:

You know what has been heartening the past two days as reaction to the Absolut Reconquista ad continues to pour in? The fact that so many of you still take our sovereignty seriously and are willing to give voice to your concerns without apologizing for it.

Apparently, enough of these very serious people peppered V&S Absolut Spirits with angry emails that they felt compelled to issue a "genuine and sincere apology".

We apologize
Posted Sunday, April 06, 2008, 7:38:29 PM

During the weekend we have received several comments on the ad published in Mexico. We acknowledge the reactions and debate and want to apologize for the concerns this ad caused. We are truly sorry and understand that the ad has offended several persons. This was not our intention. The ad has been withdrawn as of Friday April 4th and will not be used in the future.

In no way was the ad meant to offend or disparage, or advocate an altering of borders, lend support to any anti-American sentiment, or to reflect immigration issues.

To ensure that we avoid future similar mistakes, we are adjusting our internal advertising approval process for ads that are developed in local markets.

This is a genuine and sincere apology,

By Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits

I'd say that's pretty good work. I daresay it'll be a long time before any European booze peddler threatens our sovereignty again.