Clinton Regrets Assassination Remark

Senator's Gaffe Came As She Tried To Rationalize Staying In The Race For Her Party's Nomination

(AP)  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton apologized after citing the June 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in defending her decision to keep running 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 Friday.

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 did not 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."

She has said much the same thing before. In a March interview with Time magazine, she said: "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, also in California. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual."

Within a couple hours of the South Dakota remarks drawing attention, Clinton decided to make a personal apology.

"I was discussing the Democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns of both my husband and Senator (Robert) Kennedy waged in California in June in 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," she said.

"The Kennedys have been much on my mind the last days because of Senator Kennedy," she added, referring to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's recent diagnosis of a brain tumor. "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.

"My view is that we have to look to the past to our leaders who have inspired us, 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 Kennedy family," she said.

In the same editorial board meeting, Clinton said "it is unprecedented in history" for political activists to urge a candidate to withdraw when his or her chances of winning the nomination appear remote. In fact, such events have happened several times.

Three months ago, Republican hopeful Mike Huckabee angered Sen. John McCain by lingering in the race after McCain's nomination seemed all but assured. "Of course I would like for him to withdraw today," McCain said at the time. A McCain campaign memo, which was leaked to the media, said the campaign was being forced to spend money in upcoming primary states merely to avoid being embarrassed by the underfunded Huckabee.

Clinton also said her campaign has had no discussions with Obama's aides about her possibly becoming his vice presidential pick.

"It is flatly untrue and it is not anything I'm entertaining. It is nothing I have planned and it is nothing I am prepared to engage in. I am still vigorously campaigning."

The Obama campaign also dismissed reports that there were talks going on between the two campaigns about putting Clinton on the ticket.

Obama has an almost 200-delegate lead over Clinton and is just 56 delegates short of the number needed to clinch the nomination, making Clinton's goal of catching him more difficult by the day. The primaries end June 3.

Clinton spent the day campaigning in South Dakota, which holds one of two June 3 primaries. At stake are 15 delegates.

Recent reports suggested she may be discussing ways to end her campaign by being offered the vice presidential slot underneath Obama, but she rejected that and said she suspected the talk was coming from Obama aides.

"I would look to the camp of my opponent for the source of these stories," she said. "People have been trying to push me out of this ever since Iowa."

Two of those recent reports, however, were attributed by CNN and The New York Times to supporters of Clinton.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a staunch Clinton supporter, said Friday that she believes that if Obama becomes the nominee he should select Clinton as his running mate.

"I think as this race has emerged each one of them has garnered a different constituency and different states, and therefore when you put the two of them together it forms, I believe, the strongest ticket," she told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

"Women feel very strongly about Hillary and African-Americans feel very strongly about Barack, and the election results show that, and the young versus old, the higher educated versus the working person. ... All these things are sort of separated out into one or the other so there is a logic in combining the two constituencies."

Former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson is overseeing the early vetting of possible vice presidential running mates for Obama, Democratic officials say. He did the same job for Democratic nominees John Kerry in 2004 and Walter Mondale in 1984.

[norcalruss]

This should be the final nail in the coffin of a beech who is showing her true colors. The audacity of this arrogant, self-centered, sore loser is appalling. Its as through the dead-woman-walking is hoping for something bad to happen to Obama to breath life into her failed campaign. If she has any dignity at all she will give a real apology and suspend her Quixotic campaign.

[latinovoter1]

She is such a fool. Talk about a graceful exit. Please, I bet at least 10 superdelegates will endorse Obama by monday over these comments, this certainly is not helping her case and she has nothing to gain by saying that.

[lorinkundert]

Typical Hillary, makes inflammatory statements and when the public objects, she promptly flip flops.

[allamr18]

Im trying to decide if i am getting angrier as time passes or less angry than angry again. anyway i think she essentially was waiting around for a blow up on obamas part and she did it first.

[justinlz]

If Obama nominate Hillary, I am fraid that history of 1960s will repeat again. Hillary herself seems know much about what happened on the brothers of Kennedy in 1960s.

[dchu76]

not another day passes that i am not solified in my choice of Obama. this shrill of a woman had me frothing at my mouth, and was so pissed that i am actually speechless at this woman. her inappropriatness in all regards is enough for me to make a pledge that i will do all in power to make and effort to make sure she cannot hold another elected office.
hillary supports keep on mentioning that they will vote for mccain over obama, let me tell you this, there are more people who will never vote for clinton this year, 2012 2016 ever.

[mommakat64]

And I would NOT be comfortable with her as my Vice President if I was Obama, that''s just common sense. Bill is trying to push for her as VP now...he says that she "deserves" it. These two narcissistic, arrogant power hoarders, just don''t stop. Jeez....

[robbinghood-2009]

Clinton did nothing to apologize for. She referenced a time of year when RFK was still in a race for president. This is media''s determination to have a black president. Nothing more. Just as they sold people on the Iraq War. It''s the American media selling hot air.

[dchu76]

Clinton lied again today, like she lied after being caught after bosnia. her explanation then was oh it was late and she only told the story once, when in reality she told it over 5 times, and in the morning.

and now today she says that kennedy is in her mind since the events of last week, but she has made these assasianation comments 2 other times in march and apr. lies lies lies

[dchu76]

Clinton did nothing to apologize for. She referenced a time of year when RFK was still in a race for president. This is media''''s determination to have a black president. Nothing more. Just as they sold people on the Iraq War. It''''s the American media selling hot air.
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Posted by RobbingHood at 12:39 AM : May 24, 2008

then why not mention the other primary elections, why mention the one election in which someone was assasinated? oh the media bias, please the relentless coverage of Wright? Clinton put her self in these positions, lying about bosnia, this remark, her switch on michigan/florida etc etc. blame the candidate not on the media.

[robbinghood-2009]

Anyone with half a brain knows that she referenced the time of year. It was already June when RFK was shot in LA. The race was still on in 68. You can blame her for her lying on some other occasions, but this is not newsworthy. Even RFK Jr says it''s nothing. He knows what she was saying. Get a grip, people.

[MonsterSound]

Is it just me or does this article ignore the elephant in the room. The secret service, I''m sure, is concerned.

Obama supporters in all their paranoia are actually fracturing the Democratic Party even further with their rants. It is a old and tiresome and does not bode well for Obama in November. Hilllary supporters will have a hard time getting enthusiastic about him with all the flaming rhetoric. Obama supporters can be his worst enemies with this kind of feeding frenzy.

[dchu76]

Anyone with half a brain knows that she referenced the time of year. It was already June when RFK was shot in LA. The race was still on in 68. You can blame her for her lying on some other occasions, but this is not newsworthy. Even RFK Jr says it''''s nothing. He knows what she was saying. Get a grip, people.
------------------------------------------------------Posted by RobbingHood at 12:46 AM : May 24, 2008


But doesnt this show her desperation, also lets say if she drops out and obama has a big messup (black sheep in his past or anything) come convention she will be nominated by the party, so why take this nuclear aproach when she has clearly lost.

[dchu76]

Is it just me or does this article ignore the elephant in the room. The secret service, I''''m sure, is concerned.
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Posted by monstersound at 12:47 AM : May 24, 2008

SS has been protecting Obama since MAY 2007, because there have been numerous threats against him. This is why this comment can be precieved to be so inflamatory.

[suzyku]

First of all she did NOT apologize! She said she regretted if she offended the Kennedy''s. She did not have the decency to apologize to Obama! She panders to racists and then practically gives them permission to do something horrible, she''s a real nasty piece of work. She''s blinded by her own ambition and has lost all perspective. We don''t want her answering the phone at 3am, she push the red button without thinking first! I think she has pushed the red button on herself! Superdelegates need to show courage and stop her before she does more damage!

[dchu76]

why didnt she just come out an aplogize, instead she comes out and tries to mamby pamby around ths issue and provide excuses(false as they were)

[edward1975-2009]

This lady walks around with a foot stuck in her mouth, what the heck, doesn''t she have people that proofreads what she about to say.

[justinlz]

Kennedy brothers represent the interest of the mass and want to make change and reform.

When they were dead, big wars initiated to peace down the anger of the people. while the real killers are still free. Hillary is a mature politician, why does she mention these things? Does she want to imply something to get some support just like Carter did in 1982 when he faced challenge from Ted Kennedy at the nomination war?

[dchu76]

Any remote chances of her being the VP are over.

God forbid anything happens to Obama. Malcom X, MLK what losses the black community have felt.

[dchu76]

The irony is, she has been waiting for a foot in the mouth moment from Obama, and today she basically screwed her self in the process.

[harp1963]

The people behind the assinations of John and Bobby Kennedy must be getting very old. I wonder if they think about their fate when they stand before the Lord? 50 years of power and maybe having a building named after them vs. eternity. Very frightening.

[dchu76]

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2826/obamamatrixcl5.jpg

Obama, not this time. (picture of Obama in Matrix, stopping all bullets)

[robbinghood-2009]

It was Friday. They needed a weekend story. She did not say anything wrong. She shouldn''t want to be Obama''s VP. Sure, she was beaten by the Obama media frenzy. That''s why I am readying myself to support McCain this election.

[MonsterSound]

Is it just me or does this article ignore the elephant in the room. The secret service, I''''''''m sure, is concerned.
Posted by monstersound at 12:47 AM : May 24, 2008
--------------------------------------
SS has been protecting Obama since MAY 2007, because there have been numerous threats against him. This is why this comment can be precieved to be so inflamatory.
Posted by dchu76 at 12:50 AM : May 24, 2008
--------------------------------------
That''s definitely the elephant I was referring to, but, why isn''t that important perspective in the article?

[robbinghood-2009]

It would take a whole lot to get some of us excited over McCain, but the Obamanites seem capable of igniting the keg. I think I dislike Obama''s followers as much or more than I do him.

[dchu76]

It was Friday. They needed a weekend story. She did not say anything wrong. She shouldn''''t want to be Obama''''s VP. Sure, she was beaten by the Obama media frenzy. That''''s why I am readying myself to support McCain this election.
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Posted by RobbingHood at 01:13 AM : May 24, 2008

And no blame for Clinton for having said this, if she had said nothing today, there would be no weekend story. We don''t need another president who is totally out of touch with reality. I can''t believe anyone is voting for her!! Even her june excuse is messedup because the primaries in those years started in end of march. This year they started in jan, june in those days was the middle of the primary, this year its the end.

[robbinghood-2009]

Clintonites, don''t let her take the VP job. It would be a career ender, for sure. Her senate job would be better than playing 2nd fiddle to a diddler.

[dchu76]

Clinton was sending a message to theose "working-class whites" she''s been schmoozing that someone needs to assasinate Obama, so that she can get the nomination. What her campaign says is just spin to try to control the backlash. Hillary Clinton has apparently lost her mind.

"working-class whites" = racists, uneducated, earning under 50k, gun owners
thats what her exit polls show

[luigi999-2009]

HILLARY CLINTON IS THE ANTI-CHRIST!

[robbinghood-2009]

Hey, June is still June. The conventions were still the same time of year. There were still primaries going and there are still primaries going now. Does June come earlier now than it did in 68? I was a teenager then. It is about like telling me then about Garfield being shot. Most of you don''t even remember RFK, so what are you squawking over anyway.

[dchu76]

Hey, June is still June. The conventions were still the same time of year. There were still primaries going and there are still primaries going now. Does June come earlier now than it did in 68? I was a teenager then. It is about like telling me then about Garfield being shot. Most of you don''''t even remember RFK, so what are you squawking over anyway.
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Posted by RobbingHood at 01:27 AM : May 24, 2008

No one asked Clinton to drop out in march when she was losing, march of now is equivalent of june of then. In context June was mid primary back then since the primary started later in those years. Her whole premise is based on wrong facts.

[dchu76]

That negro freshman candidate named Hussein is going to get popped.
Then Hillary gets the sympathy vote just like LBJ.
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Posted by tracymoorgan at 01:22 AM : May 24, 2008

Special place in hell for a**holes like you.

[robbinghood-2009]

"working-class whites" = racists, uneducated, earning under 50k, gun owners
thats what her exit polls show

Those are the kinds of comments that I love to see. That is the talk that will get you beaten this fall. Keep it up. Even the Clintonites are going to remember you people at election time.

[dchu76]

Those are the kinds of comments that I love to see. That is the talk that will get you beaten this fall. Keep it up. Even the Clintonites are going to remember you people at election time.
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Posted by RobbingHood at 01:33 AM : May 24, 2008

i didnt say that, clinton exit polls say that, the same exit polls clinton keeps on refering to.

[dchu76]

The Biblical quote "Be careful when you dig a ditch for someone else--because you just may be the one that falls in it," seems a perfect analogy.


Hillary is out of touch. But more than that, she has no ethics or morals.

[dchu76]

The evilness of her blind ambition just burst her bubble today. She has committed both personal and political suicide.

[dchu76]

The Clinton Dynasty
RIP
5/23/2008

[sbcarlosm]

Hillary opened her big fat lesbian mouth without thinking. I don''t want her to be my president.

[veteran72]

Time for Hillary to call Happy Acres and submit herself for Testing and Electro-Shock.
She''s obviously come unhinged.....

[edward1975-2009]

She''s 20 million in debt, about as smart as a box of rocks, and can''t for the life of her, pull her foot out of her mouth. Maybe that''s why Bill needed Monica. Just speculation.

[veteran72]

Meanwhile, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a staunch Clinton supporter, said Friday that she believes that if Obama becomes the nominee he should select Clinton as his running mate.

Or, he could just hit himself in the head with a ballpeen hammer several times in rapid succession, achieving the same results.....LMMFAO...
Paging Dianne Feinstein.....looney bin for one....

[veteran72]

lol, of course she regrets that comment. She will stop at nothing to try and somehow become the nominee. She is probably hiring an assassin right now. In the back of her mind she is hoping something catastrophic happens. And she messed up and said it.
I''''''''ve seen it all along. She simply wants to be pres and will do anything at all to get there. She covets the idea so greatly. It is so obvious. It amazes me that anyone sees it any other way. It has nothing to do with the citizens of America. It only has to do with her, and her goals.
Thank gawd she finally killed her chances at a VP spot. I was getting worried that she might actually be on the ticket.


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Posted by mortal3 at 02:06 AM : May 24, 2008
+ report abuse

while Obama begins the selection process for a running mate, Hillary interviews hitmen....LMMFAO....

[kevingoebel]

Barack wouldn''t want Hillary to resign, she''s the best insurance policy he could have. I can imagine the cracker nutjobs out there thinking: "Dang, that Obama sure is uppity, but hellfire, anything happens ta him, we''d get stuck with that evil *** from Arkansas in the White House! Ain''t no way ah want that!"

On the flipflop, anyone else wondering if Ron Paul is hangin'' in there just in case McCain goes into vaporlock?

[dchu76]

God knows, Senator, in this campaign, this nation has **had** to forgive you, early and often...
And despite your now traditional position of the offended victim, the nation **has** forgiven you.

We have forgiven you your insistence that there have been widespread calls for you to end your campaign, when such calls had been few.
- your misspeaking about Martin Luther King''s relative importance to the Civil Rights movement.
- your misspeaking about your under-fire landing in Bosnia.
- insisting Michigan''s vote wouldn''t count and then claiming those who would not count it were Un-Democratic.
- pledging to not campaign in Florida and thus disenfranchise voters there, and then claim those who stuck to those rules were as wrong as those who defended slavery or denied women the vote.
- the photos of Osama Bin Laden in an anti-Obama ad...
- fawning over the fairness of Fox News while they were still calling you a murderer.
- you quoting the electoral predictions of Boss Karl Rove.
.
.
.
.
- your declaration of some primary states as counting and some as not.
- exploiting William Ayers in front of the debate on ABC.
- you repeatedly praising Senator McCain at Senator Obama''s expense, and your **own** expense, and the Democratic **ticket''s** expense.

But Senator, we cannot forgive you this.

americablog.com/2008/05/keith-olbermanns-special-comment-about.html

[rudy654-2009]

This is politics. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion.

[edroma]

This is lunacy!. Please this idea that every comment has to be followed by an apology not to ofend the barck sensibility is just too much.... otherwise we are racists and bigots.
Please do not cry barack and barack boys and girls, we dont want you to feel sad... just croll back to the nest where you radicals came out because we are not voting for you -- even if you say "Change, vhange, yes we can , yes we can" and the reverend in the back saying "Hate america" we are not voting for you.
Support Hillary, the only candidate with some balls.

[harrydoghiny]

It''s time to go, Hillary. Maybe next time.

[veteran72]

Time for Hillary to call Happy Acres and submit herself for Testing and Electro-Shock.
She''s obviously come unhinged.....

OK, you four grab her arms and the rest of you push real hard....

[deacon20081]

Posted by kevingoebel
Barack wouldn''''t want Hillary to resign, she''''s the best insurance policy he could have. "I can imagine the cracker nutjobs out there thinking"

Cracker? Are you a bigot?
It appears some or all of the blacks want to shout down whitey and get Obama Elected!!!!!
What next the official language is to become "ebonics"?
I respect Senator Obama and am not excited about Hillary at all but I find garbage talk that referencing those "crackers" just a bit much.