Megagaff

I've been highly entertained by the Democratic primary over the past several months. Not caring a whit about political correctness, I've found the charges of racism and sexism to be great fun. But Hillary crossed a line.

She may not have meant to cross it, but cross it she did. It's a line we all have been aware of, even alluded to by Michelle Obama in her gas station quote. And I've been dreading what would happen if some (especially right-wing) kook crossed the line. I never imagined that the allegedly astute Hillary Clinton would give this as a reason not to drop out:

"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. I don't understand it,"

It's OK to talk about the significance of assassination, and assassination attempts, as they relate to American history. As Memorial Day approaches we do well to remember Lincoln, the Kennedys, King, and others.

I know it's a little late to be warned about this, Senator Clinton, but you don't mention assassination in a hypothetical context. Not on a blog. Not in the newspaper. Not being interviewed on television. And certainly not when you're a candidate for office.

As a TPM blogger puts it:

Ted Kennedy is fighting for his life and she has the lack of judgment to invoke RFK's assasination to make a political point-- a point which also injects the idea of killing a presidential nominee. Do not even attempt to spin this for me. It's not gonna work.

This is a melt down. Things are out of control at her campaign. I think with this remark, she's taken herself out of contention for VP. Not just because I'm angry, but because she's too out of control to ever be President.

And having done so, you don't then try to put yourself in a position that would be benefit from an assassination.

I don't know if this dooms Hillary's campaign or her chances to be Obama's running mate, but it certainly doesn't help. It's hard to think of anything she could have said that would have been more divisive.

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