Per First Read, the initial response from the Clinton campaign was one of denial, not apology:
Clinton campaign spokesperson Mo Elleithe: "She was simply referencing her husband in 1992 and Bobby kennedy in 1968 as historical expmales of the nominating contest going well into the summer. Any, any reading into it beyond that is inaccurate."
Hillary Clinton herself subsequently made an apology -- apologizing for how people took her statement, not for having made it:
"I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation, particularly for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever. My view is that we have to look to the past and to our leaders who have inspired us and give us a lot to live up to and I'm honored to hold sen. Kennedy's seat in the United States Senate in the state of New York, and have the highest regard for the entire Kennedy family."
I, like others, am having difficulty seeing this as a reference to the fact that campaigns lasted into the summer in the past. There are much clearer examples of the race for the Democratic nomination lasting late into the cycle -- 1980 and 1984, for example -- that would do much more to prove this point.
I don't mean to parse the statements of Senator Clinton too closely, but it's hard for me to understand how, even if this was about illustrating that races previous years have lasted past this point, someone who has spent so long in the national spotlight, someone whose words have been so closely scrutinized, could so flippantly talk about the assassination of a presidential candidate -- particularly at a time when the possibility remains of the first African-American or the first Woman being elected President in this country.
So I don't come down on this issue too far away from Josh: I don't have any problem with Clinton remaining in this race at least through the end of voting early next month. But if this is the type of language that Clinton will be using for the duration of this primary process, I have a real problem with her continuing her campaign.
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