Politician issues an apology for eulogy

Baden-Württemberg's President Gunther Oettinger issued an apology for the eulogy he gave which said that a former Nazi Party member military judge had opposed the Nazi regime. What a ridiculously stupid statement to make. Oettinger didn't want to apologize but Chancellor Merkel and other CDU politicians put the screws on him. Therefore, he released a statement saying "I do not stand by my formulation - I distance myself from it." Sounds like a pretty weak apology to me. German politicians rarely minimize the crimes of the Nazi regime in public. I wonder if Oettinger is unusual for doing so?