A major hat tip to Prof. Jon Schaff at SD Politics for the links and video. Read his post.
Apparently Sen. Hillary Clinton told the Argus Leader Editorial Board today that one of the reasons she should stay in the race is in case of assassination. She doesn’t mention Sen. Barack Obama by name but she brings up the 1968 assassination of Sen. Bobby Kennedy.
EB: You don’t buy the party unity argument?
I don’t, because again, I’ve been around long enough. You know my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere around the middle of June
EB: June
We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. Um you know I just I don’t understand it. There’s lots of speculation about why it is.
She has since issued an apology:
“Earlier today I was discussing the Democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns that both my husband and Senator Kennedy waged in California in June 1992 and 1968 and I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nomination primary contests that go into June. That’s a historic fact. The Kennedys have been much on my mind the last days because of Senator Kennedy and I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation, and particularly for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that, whatsoever. My view is that we have to look to the past and to our leaders who have inspired us and give us a lot to live up to, and I’m honored to hold Senator Kennedy’s seat in the United States Senate from the state of New York and have the highest regard for the entire
Kennedy family.”
That’s her new rationale for being in the race? Someone could shoot Obama? I mean, heck, June rolls around and that’s the time when leading Democratic candidates get offed? Oh, and by the way, YOO-HOO, here I am!
This is a far, far worse gaff than last’s week’s misstatement by Obama thanking “Sioux City” instead of “Sioux Falls.”
Hillary needed to get out of the race weeks ago. She absolutely needs to get out now. This does nothing to help heal the party. In fact, it pours gasoline on a smoldering fire of racism that she and her husband Bill Clinton have tried to tap into this whole campaign.
This is sick and disgusting and wrong. I know Hillary has “apologized”. But the Clintons never say anything without first considering every angle about a statement or position. I don’t buy that this was a slip of the tongue.
My guess was this was the roll out of a “beta version” of a new message for the Clinton campaign. It is a Friday afternoon before the first big holiday of the summer in Flyover Country, USA. Talk about the proverbial political trick of “taking out the garbage” on Friday afternoons. If it flopped, no big deal, it will be forgotten by Tuesday. If it has traction, you’ll see it in her talking points.
Hillary, get out now while you have at least some small bit of dignity left. Please.
Technorati Tags: assassination, Barack Obama, Sioux Falls, Brandon, South Dakota, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama