Senator Clinton wrote an op-ed for the New York Daily News today attempting to defend her RFK remarks and continued candidacy. I made it all the way to the second paragraph before becoming a rage monster.
I did eventually finish reading the entire piece, which became her standard battle cry, but I’m stuck on her defense of her tasteless remarks.
I made clear that I was – and that I thought the urgency to end the 2008 primary process was unprecedented. I pointed out, as I have before, that both my husband’s primary campaign, and Sen. Robert Kennedy’s, had continued into June.
I call shenanigans.
The 1992 primary season started considerably later than it did in 2008. When Bill Clinton ran in 1992, the Iowa caucus was held on February 10th. The New Hampshire primary that year was held on February 18th.
Robert F. Kennedy didn’t even declare for the presidency until March of 1968. Nor did RFK have Democratic party support. All those party insiders and what we now call superdelegates were behind Hubert Humphrey.
Besides, she didn’t say RFK’s campaign continued into June. She said he was ASSASSINATED in June.
Almost immediately, some took my comments entirely out of context and interpreted them to mean something completely different – and completely unthinkable.
Her comments weren’t taken out of context because there was no context. It was a stupid remark. It was a poor choice of words.
Senator, repeat after me:
“I chose my words poorly, and I apologize.”
That would go a long way toward making this incident go away. And don’t give one of your underhanded non-apologies like you gave on Friday:
“I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma. . . was in any way offensive.”
Phrasing it that way is a lame attempt to take any responsibility off of yourself and puts the burden on those who were justly horrified by your remarks. Just admit that you made a mistake. Owning up to our own mistakes is not a sign of weakness. However, beating your hands on the table and holding your breath until you turn blue (metaphorically, of course) is a sign of weakness.
Score
History’s Long Memory: 1 Geeks: 0
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Lisa Fary's earliest influences are Princess Leia, Rainbow Bright, Astronaut Barbie, and her 6th grade teacher, Ms. Palmer. She's angry that it's 2011 and she still doesn't have a hovercraft, but will accept a jetpack as consolation. That jetpack had better be pink with a rhinestone monogram. 
