Catching a break for Clinton May 24, 2008

Photo by Christopher Wink, TTN.

Oops, she did it again. At least, in the media’s eyes.

In the latest “blunder” the media ate up, Sen. Hillary Clinton is charged with being disrespectful by making a comment about Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1968.

When discussing other high-ranking officials telling her to get out of the presidential race, Clinton compared her campaign to her husband’s and RFK’s.

Her exact quote:

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.

And her apology, just hours later:

Earlier today, I was discussing the Democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns that both my husband and Sen. Kennedy waged in California in June in 1992 and 1968, and I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nominating primary contests that go into June. That’s an historic fact.

Perhaps her timing with the original comment was a little off after Sen. Ted Kennedy’s recent hospitalization, but really, there was no need for a formal apology.

Her point simply was, as she clearly stated, that RFK’s assassination occurred in June when he was in a heated battle for the Democratic nomination among Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Sen. Eugene McCarthy. What’s wrong with saying that?

I’ve already written a commentary for The Temple News that the media typically give Clinton a negative image, seeming to favor Sen. Barack Obama to win the nomination. Even after the ABC Debate blunder, my argument continues to grow.

Of course, I’m saying this as a journalist and not as a fan. Do I expect an equal amount of missteps to be reported for Obama? No, not at all. But I do expect the media to over-analyze every word he says as they do for Clinton.

Let’s just see what happens in June.