Thanks for pointing these out MJ.

I've thought about Sen. Clinton's RFK comments from all different points of view and I still can't find a redeemable explanation.

Over the last few weeks the Clinton campaign has taken on an Alice in Wonderland character. It is as though the candidate and her entire campaign staff has gone down a rabbit whole into a world filled with sad self delusion and fanciful wishful thinking.

On the bright side the theater of the absurd quality of Hillary's campaign is highly entertaining. I can hardly wait to see what blunder she commits today.

Thanks MJ...
From Gene's article I like this best:

"That's the Clinton way: Ask forgiveness, not permission"

For them to be so smart, at some point you would think they would correct that. It's because they dont that I feel they know exactly what they do when they get in trouble, and they mock everyone who knows how smart they are when they play that way.

have you noticed something about the Obama camp (which includes almost everyone on TPM)? they're not content to have won. they're not content to have beaten Hillary. why is that?

Here is the most charitable view:

Clinton never thought there would be a true race. Two things show how deeply Clinton believed in her inevitability: Her confident assertion on national tv that the race would be over by February 5 (really, really something to behold), and that voters who disagreed with her on the AUMF should vote for someone else.

All of her posturing about why she is still in the race, including the "other campaigns have gone through June," and why she is really winning and why she is more electable, are just her way of making the facts fit the inevitability scenario as best as possible, even though it's a bad fit and the facts are totally different.

She can't believe she lost. She really can't.

I thought the Keith Olbermann diatribe was embarrassingly overwrought--just political cant without serious substance. On the other hand, both Robinson and Herbert offer very thoughtful, yet devastating, analyses.

Whatever Clinton meant or was thinking at the time, the "assassination" comment was a serious error that underscores how ridiculous--and unnecessary--her campaign has become last 2 months. At this point, it's clear that HRC needs to stand back from her personal goals and see them for what they really are--personal.

Free your party and your country, Hillary!

Yes, DairyStateDad, when Sen. Kerry muffed the joke about Iraq, Hillary Clinton went right down his throat.

Because she's my senator and (at the time) someone I very much admired, I recall vividly how shocked I was. It wasn't even said with regret, even fake regret ("Oh, there goes John, never could tell a joke..")-- she went for the throat and very clearly signaled that she was going to be in take-no-prisoners mode if he wanted to try to run for the Presidency again. -- It was a foretaste of the HRC we've seen on this campaign: there's no Hillary there, just The Competitor/Fighter/One Who Never Quits.

It's simply impossible to reconcile. On the one hand you get her self-praising condemnation of other's gaffes ('I know the voters of Pa and don't think they are bitter), troubles ('I wouldn't have stayed in that church), and even non-gaffes that she tries to make into errors (Obama's comments about Reagan). And on the other there is her totally self-forgiving and blameless attitute toward her own gaffes ("oh well everyone knew what I meant" about the RFK comment, 'white people' comment) or problems (a 4-times repeated outright lie becomes a "misstatement").

The only person I know of in public life who is so very blind to their own faults and limitations is George W. Bush .... and even HE is more forgiving to others!

I appreciate Eugene Robinson's willingness to say what so many of us (especially many women!) feel but which the press and pundits - with all the talk about 'grit' and 'determination' and 'strength' - pretend not to see: her campaign has become an embarrassment that has to do more with psychology than with politics. It's no favor to her to continue to applaud while she spirals downhill -- in fact, in my opinion THIS is the sexism problem.

Hillary is being allowed to do things that hurt the party, hurt the party's candidate, and make her appear foolish or much worse but it's being tolerated, not called for what it is. That's patronizing, by the press and the party big-wigs ..... and women don't HAVE to be patronized to win. In fact, if they invite and allow patronism - as Hillary has done with her constant victimization and continuing insistance that she *is* somehow viable -- then they have lost and hurt all of us.

Her decision to finish the campaign, going through all the contests, could certainly be admirable and a very good thing for her supporters. I don't think anyone thought less of Huckabee for staying in even after it was clear he would lose. But he wasn't savaging the candidate, ham-stringing the party, and defacing her own image in the process. She is. It's offensive - offensive to Hillary and women in general - to have this fumbling, careening, and futile effort reap glowing accolades for courage and strength and guts. (You wonder if they aren't really thinking/saying in private "Wow, it's really impressive how that gal is struggling. Of course, no man would act so foolish or keep fighting so long, but for a woman ... well, it's damned impressive.")

And to the person who commented that we Obama supporters are not content to have won, this doesn't feel like 'winning' - not at this point. He "won" the day of the IN and NC primaries, and celebration was duly had. What is happening now is a further, futile wounding of Obama, the party, Hillary herself and the hope and dreams of millions of women. When this race started, so many of us had very, very high hopes that, whether or not she ultimately won, a competent woman would be waging strong, dignified campaign, one that would solidly establish that those of our gender belong at this level along with everyone else. The campaign Hillary is running, especially since she lost the nomination, is very, very painful to us in a way that has absolutely nothing to do with Obama.

From Blacks4Barack:
Black Americans, and many of all races are EXTREMELY disturbed by Hillary's insinuation of a possible assassination of Barack Obama. To imply that her reason for staying in the race is because anything can happen, then nonchalantly say that even Robert Kennedy was assassinated in June, meaning therefore she should stay in, is not only pitifully diobolical but incredibly dangerous.

As I read some of the comments, I sense that some do not understand the true impact of her deadly insinuation. Keep in mind, when it was first announced that Obama was running for President, the initial concern in Black America was his safety. "Would some nut sniper him"? Obama had to hire secret service security right out of the gate.....why? Because of the true possibilty of some nut doing harm to him or his family.

Also, during the last 50 years, the people who have been assassinated have ALL been leaders who were working toward equality for ALL. John F., Robert and of course Dr. King. So just the WORD assassination brings to us not only an extreme fear but is a reminder of the incredibly sad loss to America, particularly Blacks, at the hands of the sick and wicked. For Hillary Clinton, a so-called leader, to insinuate, for WHATEVER reason assassination....is beyond disgusting. It subliminally sparks the hatred, bigotry and destruction that most Americans have worked so hard to overcome.

Greg Jones
www.Blacks4Barack.org