Clinton Surrogate Makes Creepy Reference To JFK Assassination

With the chips down, we're still waiting for that vaunted Clinton discipline to kick in. This isn't helping:

Today, in Dover, Francine Torge, a former John Edwards supporter, said this while introducing Mrs. Clinton: "Some people compare one of the other candidates to John F. Kennedy. But he was assassinated. And Lyndon Baines Johnson was the one who actually" passed the civil rights legislation.

The comment, an apparent reference to Senator Barack Obama, is particularly striking given documented fears among blacks that Mr. Obama will be assassinated if elected.

How to describe this? Desperate? Weird? Uhm...a squeaky frame? [Rimshot!] Hopefully, Torge meant to merely draw a comparison between Clinton and a president who escalated wildly unpopular wars, and not with an assassin.

Phil Singer, a Clinton spokesman said: "We were not aware that this person was going to make those comments and disapprove of them completely. They were totally inappropriate."

If only there was some way to, say, vet a speaker's remarks in advance or something!

Comments

[BushSunkOurShip]

Frist of all,,, the candidates of my choice are Kucinich and Edwards. But, by not taking corporate funds and the news media silent and censorship on them, except to talk BS about a UFO or a hair cut have a moutain to climb.
We have to remember ex-president Reagan which reported seeing UFO on at least two occassions and was a firm believer in UFO's, which I don't see Crist Mathews or the corporate news media saying a word about.
This BS about Hillary has gone way over the top and Obama supporters have the nerve to say something about the Clintons.
I will tell you something else, when I compare the last 30 plus years (republican rule) against Clinton great economy and the respect America had around the world I would except another 8 years of it in a heart beat.
I really believe the democrats have become losers, they are talking trash as much if not more then I have heard from the republicans in the last 15 to 20 years and that is saying a lot.
You talk about loser democrats in office, yet you jump at articles posted by persons you don't even know who they are (RNC) and if the article has any value or not.
Where in the h... are the real issues; the withdrawn of our troops from Iraq, Cheney is getting ready attack on Iran, the illegal spying on us by big brother, the jobs which have been shipped overseas, the economy which is as close to a depression as one can get without calling it one, the torture and killing of prisoners without charges or a lawyer -- some even U.S. citizens, the hiring of private mercenary army which is even now recuiting from Africa, the total destruction of our National Guards which were suppose to protect Americans inside our country and Bush has taken them overseas.
The real democrats you are seeing on the streets being beat the h... out of, for the protection of your and my freedom and rights.

[escobar]

The legacy of All the Kennedys standing up for human rights in this country is above reproach.

[zitlight73]

It is time that We the People stand up and make our stand as a free people. We need to draw the line in the sand and tell all these fascist punks, no more. No more stolen elections and especially no more assassinations of REAL LEADERS,by lone gunmen firing magic bullets. We know who you were and who you are even if our morally castrated politicians pretend not to. This year marks the 45th and 40th anniversies of John and Bobby's assassinations. For the first time in 40 years there is somebody who is filling Bobby's shoes and giving the dis-enfranchised of this country hope. I may not vote for Mr Obama but he has my interest the fact that he's even running for president shows that he has courage a rare commodity in politics nowadays. It is time that We the People show some courage and send a message to these slimy,shadowy usurpers that it is they who better be afraid of us who make up the US of America.

[provgrays]

A certain lack of discipline seems to be part of the Clinton DNA. Bill had a great ability to recover from disasters once they occurred, but gaffes like this one are just too weird to catagorize.

[GeoLee]

I actually think two candidates could well be targets. The absolute hatred for Hillary Clinton puts her at risk from the ultra right wingers like the ones who have shot abortion providers. I take that view based on years of receiving some of the most hostile emails about another person ever written and even reading many posts on sites like this one, let alone hearing talk radio all day every day and FOX television when I go to stores, waiting rooims, etc anywhere in the state in which I live. If people will write what many have written or commentators can say on television and radio what I have heard, there has to be a sicko who might take it much further. And, no matter what many of us want to believe, racism exists and there are enough crackpot skinheads in this country (apparently including some even trained pretty well in the military who express such beliefs according to MSM shows like 60 minutes and 20/20) to lead me to be concerned about Obama. I am just glad this election is not at a 20 year election mark as that seems to be the group of electees historically that have been assassinated while in office or attempts have been made (Lincoln, 1860, Garfield, 1880, Kennedy, 1960, Reagan, 1980). Sadly, I have heard some of my black friends say things like "I want to vote for him, but I just don't want him to get shot" so I know the concern is there from people who have aview of America most of us don't.
That belief is somewhat why I am reluctant to support either of them. The first president I ever so strongly supported was JFK and when he got shot, my mistrust began to build. With the partisan politics so fostered by the likes of Tom Delay and Karl Rove I think our country is more at risk from foment at home than anything Al Queda could throw at us. I mourn because of it every time I cast a vote.

[warren76]

I don't know WHY this hasn't become a HUGE news story.....but this gaffe by her supporter is just playing off of something Clinton said yesterday about MLK that many people found extremely offensive. Below is the link and I hope Huffington Post picks up the story:

http://bourbonroom.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/01/07/clintons-candid-assessment/

[vippy]

Time for you guys to look at Richardson. He has all the right proposals. Give it a try, you may like it!

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

If voting results will be mainly determined by the piles of cash a candidate acquires, perhaps that should be a TOP issue for discussion during the campaign - where's the cash from? Also, public finance of elections should not compound this problem. No more short circuits in our elections!

[kardwell]

Francine Torge is identified as a "former Edwards supporter" in every article I've read. She is not identified as a Clinton campaign organizer, volunteer, or employee of Clinton's.

In no way am I defending her bizarre, ignorant comment, but honestly, it really does seem that she misspoke. Painfully, awkwardly, misspoke.
Her verbal floundering brings to mind Miss Teen USA South Carolina.

People really need to back off of Clinton now. This feeding frenzy really is too much....

[Tankan]

A "subliminal" message - as subtle as a sledge hammer!

And Al Qaeda in America could be blamed, Pakistan revisited!

The enemy within?

[bogtrotters]

Robert Kennedy was one of my heroes, and it's fair to say that he was a prick for much of his adult life. What he and his brother showed was a terrific capacity to change--RFK was deeply moved by the depth of poverty in America and became a genuinely empathetic man; JFK grew in skill and maturity while President. That's such a vivid contrast to our rigid thinking dry-drunk-in-chief, who couldn't come up with a single mistake he'd made in office.

I was 16 when Bobby was assassinated; Please, God, protect Barack from the meanness and the violence that's still out there. And if you believe it isn't, read what the trolls write from their dark rooms.

[Waitaminute]

So people, now we see the real Clinton organization in action. To talk about assassination in order to get to another leader, that will do the job is not only playing to the fears black people have of Obama being assassinated if he wins. Its also a threat to Obama and all of us. Otherwise why bring assassination up at all. He could have easily made his point without it.

[PSTEN]

The individual who introduce Clinton is a sick individual for provoking our worst fears. I will admit that I have thought the same thing in regards to Obama. I fear for this man, but he will get my vote.

[JCPal]

to introduce Rodham Clinton using such language is astonishing, completely astonishing.

That Rodham Clinton didn't bat an eyelash is worse, extremely offensive.

I hope she loses by 20 points today.

[Mattatat]

Obama '08 = Carter '76

Exact same scene. Careful what you wish for.