Posted on 05/23/2008 2:13:00 PM PDT by SmithL
Sioux Falls, S.D. (AP) --
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton quickly apologized Friday after citing the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy as a reason to remain in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination despite increasingly long odds.
"I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and in particular the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever," the former first lady said.
The episode occurred as Clinton campaigned in advance of the June 3 South Dakota primary.
Responding to a question from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader editorial board about calls for her to drop out of the race, she said: "My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You know I just, I don't understand it," she said, dismissing the idea of abandoning the race.
Clinton said she didn't understand why, given this history, some Democrats were calling for her to quit.
Her remark about an assassination during a primary campaign drew a quick response from aides to Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama.
"Senator Clinton's statement before the Argus Leader editorial board was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.
Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee said the senator was only referring to her husband and Kennedy "as historical examples of the nominating process going well into the summer and any reading into it beyond that would be inaccurate and outrageous."
Even so, Clinton decided within a couple of hours to make a personal apology.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
“Not to mention what happened to JFKs son on his way to the NY Senate seat.”
Another fortuitous event for a Clinton. Funny how those thigs just keep happening when a Clinton would so clearly benefit. The Clintons are...well, lucky. There’s no other word for it. I mean, things couldn’t have worked out better for a Clinton if they had planned such misfortunes.
The woman never ceases to amaze me. “Hey maybe somebody will shoot Obama and then I’ll have a chance”.
Nice Hil, real nice. What a dog and pony show this has been and will continue to be.
She’ll never quit. EVER.
what was her point?
Oh. So, what Hillary seems to be saying is that Obama *could* be assassinated before the convention. She surely can’t be that thick; she has to know she and Bill have been seriously linked to numerous mysterious deaths and that comment sounded . . well, sinister.
Yeah, and what about John Hinckley Jr? I hear Jodie Foster is available again having recently broken up with her, uhm, ‘domestic partner’.
Yup, John’s on the loose. So many assassins, so few candidates. No doubt it’s something on their minds. (Would be on mine too).
You know she's been lording it over Bill for years, running the show, telling him he'd be nowhere without her. She thought she had this nomination wrapped up. Bwaha.
she jumped a long time ago.
“Wow! That was a major league gaffe on many levels!!”
OMG...I can’t believe she said that.....LOL!!
(What a wuss!)
Can you say “Arkancide”?
I knew you could.....
"I apologize IF..."
You know, if this was indeed a gaffe or a slip rather than what I seriously suspect it was -- a coldly calculated statement -- then the only gaffe would be in mouthing the thought that was running through her brain. 'Cause you know she was thinking it.
Otherwise, why mention the assassination? There have been other contests that have run late -- and even if '68 were the only one, then she could have just mentioned the late contest rather than the assassination. Or better, she could have just left out mention of Bobby Kennedy altogether and still made her point about staying in a late race, especially out of sensitivity for Ted Kennedy's current condition.
So here is a presidential candidate who issued a veiled death threat to an opponent. Unbelievable.
Let's hope the press rips her a new one...
I questioned posting that. It was ripped from F$rk. It’s too good. For a journalistic rationalization I guess you can say you talk about it enough and it kind of deters the conspiratorially inclined from making a move.
This is not the first time she’s made these assassination references.
This is from an interview in TIME Magazine, published March 6, 2008:
TIME: Can you envision a point at which—if the race stays this close—Democratic Party elders would step in and say, “This is now hurting the party and whoever will be the nominee in the fall”?
CLINTON: No, I really can’t. I think people have short memories. Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn’t wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual.
http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/05/hillarys_bizarre_rfk_comment.html
And here’s what she said after the Indiana primary:
“But I also think it’s still early. I mean, everybody is so focused on where we are right now. I guess I remember that in June of 1992, that’s when Bill really wrapped up the nomination, the middle of June after the California primary. You know, I remember very well what happened in the California primary in 1968 as, you know, Senator Kennedy won that primary.”
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0805/07/cnr.04.html
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