As Memorial Day weekend kicks off, Sen. Hillary Clinton's comments about Bobby Kennedy yesterday still lead the news.
Here is my story from today's print edition:
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday evoked Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 assassination when justifying the long Democratic primary, and did quick damage control after it was taken as a reference to the perceived danger Sen. Barack Obama faces in his bid to be the first black president.Mrs. Clinton told a South Dakota newspaper editorial board her husband's nomination in 1992 wasn't wrapped up until June, and "we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California."
The Obama campaign called the remarks "unfortunate," and said the statement "has no place in this campaign."
Throughout his campaign against Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama has been compared to both assassinated Kennedys and fear of an attempt on his life is a topic voters quietly raise in light of threats reportedly made against the Illinois senator.
He has had a security detail for more than a year, the earliest ever in a presidential campaign, and his security was beefed up in January after Mr. Obama won the Iowa caucus. Voters attending his rallies are asked not to bring large bags and must go through metal detectors at most events, and snipers have been spotted on rooftops during his larger outdoor rallies.
Mrs. Clinton told reporters later her intention had been to make a historical reference and said the Kennedy family has been on her mind lately.
Democrats from both camps yesterday agreed the remark may have been careless but was harmless.
Read my full story here.
Team Clinton last night after our deadline forwarded this statement from Robert Kennedy Jr. that we weren't able to get into the story:
Robert Kennedy Jr. issued the following statement this evening:"It is clear from the context that Hillary was invoking a familiar political circumstance in order to support her decision to stay in the race through June. I have heard her make this reference before, also citing her husband's 1992 race, both of which were hard fought through June. I understand how highly charged the atmosphere is, but I think it is a mistake for people to take offense."
— Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (6)
I am a white women and I use to respect Hillary Clinton however, I feel she reached a new low. In her campaign for president she begin to run a "Bush" campaign which started to turn me against her however, if she was nominated I would of still voted for her. Now all I can picture is her and her husband plotting their campagign and hoping that Ombaba may get killed if not during the primaries then at least they will push hard enough so she gets the
VP and them maybe just maybe while he is president. I feel there is no other way around what she meant or what she said. If she got the nominee at this point I would vote liberatarian. What she did was horifiny to me and does not have a place in our political system and definetly not our county and I can not wipe it out of my mine like some of the news media have chosen to do. I feel for her to say it she has thought about it long and hard. If I lived in New York she would never get voted in as a senator again it would be the end of her career.
Posted by Laurie Donaldson | May 24, 2008 6:30 PM
I'm trying to figure out why Ms. Donaldson would have ever respected Hillary Clinton. She stayed with a serial philanderer husband, just so she could further her own political career and have 24/7 bodyguards at taxpayer expense, which she would have possibly lost if she divorced him. That was okay for her to do, but in her now infamous 60 Minutes interview in 1992, she disparaged women who might not be lucky enough to have been born into a well-off family and attend Yale Law school by stating that SHE was not someone who chose just to "stand by her man like Tammy Wynette". And yet these same poor women now support her. Go figure.
Posted by George Robertson | May 24, 2008 11:31 PM
The remark was not an insult to Robert Kennedy. Why did they bring in someone to transform it into such and then wash it over with the Kennedy's? There was absolutely no reason to invoke the memory of Robert Kennedy's assasination to support a long election process. This statement was made for a completely subliminal reason.
Posted by Larry Stone | May 25, 2008 6:46 AM
In essence, Hillary Clinton said - in a stupid way - that Democratic primaries have gone into June before and it didn't damage the party. Of course everyone is free to interpret what Clinton really meant or insinuated like Bob Cesca of the Huffington Post or Keith Olbermann. But if one really believes or fears that Hillary Clinton is somehow hoping for a climactic event - such as an assasination - that could win her the nomination after all, they should get her to say exactly that. And if one really considers her remark as part of a pernicious plan to steal the nomination and invoke fears about Obama's safety, there is an easy way to spoil those efforts: Don't write about it.
Posted by Michael | May 25, 2008 9:55 AM
I've read the story in Arab newspaper.. Truth I did not believe it. This night I read it by you.. Always I feel love for Clinton family.. But now I feel sorry about.. the actions of politicians and specialy she
Posted by Farid Dulti | May 25, 2008 10:56 PM
Not to mention the disgusting comment by Liz Trotta on Faux news yesterday. why this woman is not currently being questioned by secret service escapes me. her comments go way beyond the protection of free speech and exemplifies pure hate speech. Maybe she can get with Mike Huckabee and do a number with the nra.
Posted by cnarles nutting | May 26, 2008 11:10 AM