Uploaded on 
 
 A scandal surfaced in 1998 from a sexual relationship between President Bill Clinton and a 22-year-old White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. Although Clinton would initially deny the relationship, he would later deliver a nationally televised speech admitting an "inappropriate" relationship with Miss Lewinsky. A formal investigation of the affair led to the impeachment of the president by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. 

 Here’s how you know a politician is in deep trouble, the kind where the polling is so bad that’s there’s probably no return — they drop to the ground and apologize, throwing themselves on the mercy of the court of public opinion. 
 
 It’s easy enough when there’s a humiliating personal scandal — there’s really no other option for exceptionally bad behavior. But what about when it comes to a major screw-up? 
 
 Text Size - 
 
 + 
 
 reset 
 
 The risk of admitting a major mistake is too much for most pols to chance, so when you see a public apology, you know the blunder had to be a whopper. And Washington — and the citizens of Rhode Island — just saw one from freshman Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, who recently swallowed hard and apologized for making a highly misleading statement about the finances of the city of Providence on his way to Congress. 
 
 His mea culpa was notable enough to make POLITICO’s list of five most memorable political apologies. 
 
 Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline 
 
 Cicilline’s first term in Congress has been almost entirely overshadowed by scrutiny into his past tenure as Providence mayor — and whether he misled voters about the poor state of the city’s finances. 
 
 During his 2010 campaign, amid scrutiny of his city’s seemingly deteriorating fiscal situation, Cicilline didn’t mince words: The city he was leaving was in “excellent financial condition.” 
 
 Except that it wasn’t. 
 
 Just a few months into his Capitol Hill tenure, top Providence elected officials openly accused Cicilline of hiding the city’s fiscal problems and draining the city’s rainy day fund, casting him as a dishonest and incompetent steward of a city on the verge of bankruptcy. 
 
 The Democrat sought to fend off the questions, explaining that like a host of other mayors across the country he faced tough choices and needed to use the surplus funds to cover the city’s deficit. 
 
 It didn’t work: Cicilline’s approval numbers cratered, and polls even showed him trailing his Republican rival in a strongly Democratic district. Sensing vulnerability, Cicilline’s 2010 Democratic primary opponent also announced that he would take another shot at the seat. 
 
 Under mounting pressure, Cicilline recently apologized for his managerial missteps in a letter to supporters and in a television interview, all but acknowledging that he hadn’t been completely straightforward in revealing the fiscal problems the city faced. 
 
 “I should have been much clearer the challenge the city faces,” Cicilline told a local TV station this month. “I should have been much louder in the consequences of the state cuts and to the extent anything I did contributed to the challenge the city faces, I’m sorry for that and I accept full responsibility for it.” 
 
 “I understand now why people feel I misled them and I understand why people feel betrayed and it’s important for me to address that,” he added.
– Freshman Democratic Rep. David Cicilline swallowed hard a couple of weeks ago and apologized for his financial blunders back when he was mayor of Providence, Rhode Island—which inspired Politico to recall their favorite all-time political apologies. Among them: Former Florida Rep. Tom Feeney: His 2003 golfing trip to Scotland seemed typical enough, except that it was paid for by Jack Abramoff. “It was a rookie mistake and I did everything I could to make it right," said Feeney. "I embarrassed myself, I embarrassed you and, for that, I’m very sorry." But voters booted him out of office in 2008 anyway. Former North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy: When blue dog Democrats like Pomeroy were distancing themselves from President Obama before the 2010 midterms, Pomeroy even apologized for voting with his own party: “I know I’ve disappointed you with a vote here or there,” he said. “But you can always count on the fact that I do what I do for the right reason.” No dice: Voters kicked him out of office. Bill Clinton: Surprisingly, Politico didn't pick his apology for having an "inappropriate" relationship with Monica Lewinsky (which is still up on YouTube). His 1980 apology for raising taxes took the cake, coming as it did after he lost a re-election bid as governor of Arkansas. This one worked: Next election, he whipped Gov. Frank White 54% to 45% and got on track to become US president. For two more notable political apologies, click here.