Yesterday I tried hard to focus on the Obama campaign's positive and magnanimous response to Hillary Clinton's poorly chosen, craven words linking her continuing in a lost cause to her husband's run in 1992 and Bobby Kennedy's tragic assassination in 1968. I felt like this was the best tact since others had so eloquently expressed outrage at her words.
Today, however, Mrs. Clinton has found a way to incite my anger, and i cannot remain silent. When given the opportunity to clarify herself, an opportunity afforded to her by the national stage which she still occupies for now, Mrs. Clinton chose to blame others and then make a political statement rather than a heartfelt and full apology for her remarks.
I will quote at length from her audacious, shameless editorial posted today by the New York Daily News. Entitled Why I Continue to Run it begins:
This past Friday, during a meeting with a newspaper editorial board, I was asked about whether I was going to continue in the presidential race.
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.
But that is not what she said. She clearly mentioned assassination and did not at all mention timeline with regards to RFK. Here she is attempting to obfuscate the record of what was actually said, to her advantage.
For someone so willing to skewer her opponent for his poor choices of words far less offensive than the ones she chose I believe her "chickens are coming home to roost."
It conintues:
Almost immediately, some took my comments entirely out of context and interpreted them to mean something completely different - and completely unthinkable.
Some did interpret them that way. But there were others who left them entirely in context and were angered by them. Even in the context of explaining that there have been long primaries before, raising the specter of a long primary punctuated by an assassination is inappropriate.
I realize that any reference to that traumatic moment for our nation can be deeply painful - particularly for members of the Kennedy family, who have been in my heart and prayers over this past week. And I expressed regret right away for any pain I caused.
But I was deeply dismayed and disturbed that my comment would be construed in a way that flies in the face of everything I stand for - and everything I am fighting for in this election.
She doesn't regret that she said it, that she chose the words that she did. She doesn't apologize to the African American community for raising the issue of assassination when the first AA canidate with a real shot at winning is running. I am sure the Kennedy family appreciates her apology if she caused them "any pain".
I would like to close with what i think is the inexcusable aspect of this editorial. Given a soapbox by a monumental, offensive misstep and choosing not to apologize for all of its ramifications to the African American community Mrs. Clinton actually pivots and uses the opportunity to put out some talking points about why she's a fighter who is staying in it.
And today, I would like to more fully answer the question I was asked: Why do I continue to run, even in the face of calls from pundits and politicians for me to leave this race?
She then takes the last 50% of the editorial to spout talking points, which I refuse to quote and give credence to here.
I have a simple message for Mrs. Clinton, this uproar has nothing to do with you staying or not staying in the race. Your opponent and party have said on numerous occasions that you can run for as long as you like. I will say it here. Keep running. I could care less.
But quit manufacturing a mythical group of people who are trying to "push you out". Asking you why you are running when you can't win is not pushing you out. Calling you on it when you say offensive things is not pushing you out. For the press, that is their job.
UPDATE: American By Choice pointed out that Terry McJackAss just now on morning shows has tried to blame the Obama campaign for making hay out of what she said. The Obama campaign has been more than classy giving her the benefit of the doubt in all of this. It seems that the Clinton campaign has a targeted strategy, between the editorial and the TV appearances to play the victim here.