Poehler’s character, a deputy director of parks in a small Indiana city, has indulged in the contents of a gift basket valued at more than the ethical maximum of $25. So she starts apologizing to every woman in Congress — alphabetically. And Bachmann happens to be first.

Poehler’s mea culpa begins at the 6:40 mark of the full-episode video (nbc or hulu), just after the first commercial break indicated by a white line:

Good morning. Last night, in a foolish attempt to infiltrate a boys’ club, I violated the Government Employee Ethics Code of the State of Indiana. I have always tried to live my life in an ethical way, and last night I failed. I realize I have let down every female public official in America, and I would like to apologize to them, right now, individually and in alphabetical order.

Michele Bachmann, Republican, Minnesota. I’m sorry.

Tammy Baldwin, Democrat, Wisconsin. I’m so sorry, Tammy.

Melissa Bean –

Women politicians are a theme on the show. In last night’s episode, Poehler’s character turns framed desktop photos of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and others, in shame.

During last year’s presidential campaign, Poehler portrayed Hillary Clinton. Her “Parks” character idolizes women who wield political power far more vast than her own, from U. S. House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

A highlight of Poehler’s SNL career came on her final show, when she delivered a fiercely satirical Sarah Palin rap during a “Weekend Update” sketch in which the real Alaska Governor and Republican vice presidential candidate was also appearing.

Now that should have produced a Poehler apology.

For the moose.

The nausea may be mutual. Though Thune and Pappas share DFL party loyalties and home turf (his ward lies within her Senate district), their differences over word choice and tone go back at least a decade. Early in St. Paul’s 1997 mayoral contest, Thune ended his own brief candidacy with an endorsement of fellow City Council Member Bobbi Megard over Pappas. Later, both Thune and Megard took Pappas to task for her attacks on then-Mayor Norm Coleman (who soon trounced Pappas in the general election). But apologies to Republicans weren’t passing Pappas’ lips back then. From the Oct. 10, 1997, Star Tribune:

City Council President Dave Thune, joined by fellow council members Gladys Morton and Bobbi Megard, met privately with Pappas last week to ask her to change the tenor of her attacks on GOP Mayor Norm Coleman. Pappas repeatedly has complained that Coleman’s proudest accomplishments — bringing Lawson Software and the National Hockey League to downtown St. Paul — are “sweetheart deals” that favor downtown developers over neighborhood revitalization efforts. … “Many DFLers are pretty disturbed with the tone of the campaign and the class warfare,” Thune said. … Thune said he and Megard thought that Pappas had agreed to tone down the rhetoric, but he was disappointed when the attacks continued in Wednesday’s mayoral debates. Pappas was unapologetic. “I’m not running against Dave [Thune]. He and I should agree to disagree. He shouldn’t take these things so personally,” Pappas said Thursday.