Can you say "backpedaling"? I knew you could:

Denying any anti-American sentiment on his part, actor Johnny Depp said on Thursday that quotes attributed to him as likening the United States to a "dumb puppy" were inaccurate and taken out of context.

Who knows, maybe they were. Certainly the fact he made career-threatening headlines had nothing to do with it, right? I mean, the Dixie Chicks didn't wait for their album sales to tank before they apologized. Oh, wait...