The mayor of Toronto has foot-in-mouth disease. On the eve of an African trip to promote Toronto’s bid to host the 2008 Olympics, Mel Lastman remarked, “What the hell would I want to go to a place like Mombassa

… I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these

natives dancing around me.” The comment may just lose him the votes of 16 Africans on the IOC. Here’s the transcript of the press conference he called to apologize; interesting use of contrition as obfuscation. And he’s no stranger to controversy; his foot-in-mouth disease appears to be chronic.