That was the first shot that they considered as "throwing down the gauntlet" and the MSM hammerred her from that point on.
They hammered her relentlessly for 5 days prior to her uttering those words, including some of the most vicious personal smears I've ever seen in politics.
They were going to hammer her no matter what she said. John McCain had the audacity to nominate someone who was unknown to them, unvetted by them and with a set of values and lifestyle that was anathema to them. The assault on her started the moment that happened.
Youre right, I forgot about the previous few days.