CSI Hillary RFK Gaffe

Emptywheel, over on Firedoglake, has a most interesting post today, a breakdown on how the "scoop" of Hillary Clinton's RFK Gaffe came to be.

No, not the classic, reporter-rushing-into-city-room, all breathless, and then an explosion of reporters flooding the scene, all yelling "Get me rewrite!".

No, not even any shoe-leather was applied.

In fact, as Emptywheel notes, the reporters covering Hillary that day were completely out-of-the-loop, as was the ground-zero, Argus Leader;

So: the NY Post to Drudge to the editors to the reporters actually "traveling" with Hillary ...

Whether or not it was Aravosis or Drudge who decided this comment had to be a story (nice company, Aravosis), it was, at last according to both Aravosis' account, some random guy reading the news who did so--he told them they might have a big scoop. And, ultimately, it was a newspaper reporter watching the live feed of an interview from someplace comfortable who first reported the comments--it was neither the press corp reporters who were traveling "with" Hillary nor editors of the Argus-Leader with whom Hillary was meeting.

The Politico is pouring out its' heart, bemoaning that the scoop wasn't a SCOOP ...

Go read Emptywheel's "A Return to Zapruder in the Live-Stream World", it's a good one ...


Meanwhile ...

Hillary is spending time on the reverse treadmill, wearing belt, with digging tools hanging from it, so she can shovel her way out of this incredible faux paus.

In an article in the New York Daily News, with the headline of "Hillary: Why I continue to run", Hillary is all Mea culpa city, to a certain extent, and back on her soapbox, spinning her unique brand of electoral math, and, of course, gaffe aside, she's still the best candidate out there;

I am running because I still believe I can win on the merits. Because, with our economy in crisis, our nation at war, the stakes have never been higher - and the need for real leadership has never been greater - and I believe I can provide that leadership.

Finally, I am running because I believe I'm the strongest candidate to stand toe-to-toe with Sen. McCain. Delegate math might be complicated - but electoral math is not. Our campaign is winning the popular vote - and we've been winning the swing states we need to get 270 electoral votes and take back the White House: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arkansas, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Michigan, Florida and West Virginia.

Little Hillary, er, we mean Georgie Stephanopoulous, to the rescue!

And running interference for her, to make sure she has a clear path, gaffe behind her, completely forgotten, was Little Hillary, er, we mean Georgie Stephanopoulous.

While the bigger news coming out of This Week, With George Stephanopoulos was his interview with Turd Blossom, Karl Rove, and Rove stammering and babbling a non-denial denial of his involvement in the Siegalman Case, Little Hillary, er, I mean Georgie, jumped all over Obama Campaign Manager David Axelrod, regarding Hillary's RFK gaffe.

Little Hillary, er, I mean Georgie, pressed, virtually badgering Axelrod, seeking a commitment that the Obama Campaign wasn't going to bash Hillary over her RFK gaffe, repeating himself, repeated asking if the Obama people sent out Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Hillary's RFK gaffe.

It was embarrassing ... Little Hillary, er, I mean Georgie, seemingly was uninterested in any other campaign news, other then getting Axelrod to say they would leave Hillary alone.

This ABC News post doesn't do justice to the mugging, not even mentioning, other then the show title, Little Hillary, er, we mean Georgie.


And, in the Sour Grapes Department today ...

The Former President;

"Clinton also spoke against bullying superdelegates to make up their minds, saying, "I cant believe it. It is just frantic the way they are trying to push and pressure and bully all these superdelegates to come out. 'Oh, this is so terrible: The people they want her. Oh, this is so terrible: She is winning the general election, and he is not. Oh my goodness, we have to cover this up.'"

"She is winning the general election today and he is not, according to all the evidence," Clinton said. "And I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen a candidate treated so disrespectfully just for running. Her only position was, "Look, if I lose I'll be a good team player. We will all try to win but let's let everybody vote and count every vote.'"

Well, they got a lesson on running a primary campaign, so I suppose, they'll need some extra instruction on losing, with a little class.

Roughly two-weeks left ... If we are lucky ...


Bonus Links

Boy, And We Thought Russert and Williams Sucked

She Was The One She Was Waiting For!

"Oh ... THAT Conspiracy ..."

Three "Must Reads" From Al Giordano

McCain Waves The POW Flag

Since you are the odds-on favorite at this point, to win the nomination, all I have to say is Watch Out, Barack Obama!

You start hitting Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain too hard, or with facts, or just strong opinion and he's going to go to his ace-in-the-hole ...

His POW status.

He'll whip that POW Flag out and start waving it in your face!

Today, on ABC's 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos' (you remember him, don't you? ... From the debate the other evening...), Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain wasn't getting all love pies from Little Georgie.

And it seemed, at times, early on in the interview, that Little Georgie had to hold back, pull his punches, when they were discussing SB John's lunatic Tax Plans... It's seemed like Little Georgie just wanted to shout back at him "You're absolutely a mad man, these plans are impossible!", or worse, smack him around.

So it wasn't smooth sailing when Little Georgie brought the conversation around to healthcare, and brought up Elizabeth Edward's criticism of SB John's plans.

Since we couldn't find the ABC transcripts, we give a nod to Crooks and Liars, for their "This Week: Bringing Up McCain’s Life-Long, Federally-Provided Health Care Is “A Cheap Shot”;

STEPHANOPOULOS: What’s wrong with government — what’s wrong with government-run health care?

McCAIN: And we continue to have these debates — what’s wrong with it? Go to Canada. Go to England and you can find out what’s wrong with it. Governments don’t make the right decisions. Families make the right decisions.

STEPHANOPOULOS: One of the points Mrs. Edwards made in the Wall Street Journal, she said that your whole life, you had government health care. You were the son of a Naval officer, a Naval officer, now a member of Congress. And her point is, why shouldn’t every American be able to get the kind of health care that members of Congress get or members of the military get?

McCAIN: It’s a cheap shot, but I did have a period of time where I didn’t have very good government health care. I had it from another government. (LAUGHTER) So, look, I know what it’s like in America not to have health care. We know that Americans are hurting there as well. We’ve got to make health care affordable and available. The difference, again, between myself and the Democrats, and with all due respect, Mrs. Edwards, I want the families to make the choices. They want the government to make the choices. That’s a fundamental difference, and we will continue to debate that issue.

Did you catch that?

"It’s a cheap shot, but I did have a period of time where I didn’t have very good government health care. I had it from another government. (LAUGHTER)"

It was an awkward laugh SB John let out with ... Like he expected everyone in the studio to fall over in hysterics, and when they didn't, he awkwardly continued with his answer.

So, that's how you're going to play there, hey, SB John?

When it gets too tough, when the questions get to hard, or (and you better get used to this), when people throw your plans back at you as idiotic, you're gonna wave the POW flag?

Are you trying to establish, that since you were a POW, you don't have to explain yourself, your policies, should the entire country go into brain freeze and actually elect you?

When Barack Obama, either on the stump, or in a debate, starts calling you out, running down your statements, punching holes in your policies, are you just going to respond in some glib, chippy manner, as you did today, and wave your POW flag?

Yeah, you got a bad deal in Vietnam - as did hundreds-of-thousands of other kids that got forced into going there ... Not to mention the 50,000-plus that didn't come home.

No doubt, you, and the RNC are going to exploit it six-ways-from-Sunday in the general election campaign, deafeningly echoed by the Right Wing Freak Show, in a blizzard of Flag Lapel Pins, but don't you dare start hiding behind it during this campaign, when it comes time to explain your policies and positions.

And we haven't even brought up that you - dismissively - called the questions of a woman suffering from incurable cancer a "cheap shot"?

Way to go there, SB John, that shows a lot of class ...


More Madcap McCain Riffs

Steve Benen: Senator Hothead

Washington Post: McCain: A Question of Temperament

Nicole Bell/C&L: Notice Anything? John McCain doesn’t wear an American flag pin on THIS WEEK

Melissa McEwan/Shakesville: McCain: At Least He Doesn't Throw Punches!

Perrin On McCain, Clinton and Pornographic Ringtones

John Amato/C&L: McCain bashes Obama on Ayers but stands by his association with anti-Catholic pastor Hagee