Clinton apologizes for aide's remarks. . . .and for Katrina?

[General Zod]

Linky.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton apologized to a gathering of black newspaper publishers Wednesday for a top fundraiser's controversial comments that Sen. Barack Obama's race has helped his candidacy.

Sen. Clinton at the National Newspaper Publishers Association event in Washington on Wednesday.

The New York senator found herself in the hot seat after the remarks by Geraldine Ferraro -- a former New York congresswoman, Democratic vice presidential candidate and Clinton supporter.

"I rejected what she said and I certainly do repudiate it," Clinton said at the National Newspaper Publishers Association meeting in Washington.

Ferraro resigned from the campaign Wednesday after widespread criticism over her comments about Obama's race, originally published late last week in the Torrance, California, Daily Breeze.

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept," she said.Video Watch analysts weigh in over Ferraro's comments »

Clinton was asked about remarks her husband, former President Bill Clinton, made while on the trail for his wife in South Carolina last month in which he seemed to imply that Obama's success in South Carolina would largely be based on his race.

"I'm sorry if anyone was offended. It certainly was not meant in anyway to be offensive," she said.

She even apologized for President Bush's lackluster response regarding Hurricane Katrina.

"I apologize and I am embarrassed that our federal government so mistreated our citizens."

Her aides say this is not a mea culpa tour, but rather a clear message that she has not given up on the black vote.

"So the numbers are skewed and it appears that we are losing ground in the African American community. She is not conceding that vote whatsoever," a Clinton spokesperson said.

But looking ahead, she certainly has her work cut out for her.

While Obama has steadily seen his African American support grow -- 78 percent in South Carolina, 90 percent in Virginia and 92 percent in Mississippi -- Clinton has lost ground.
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"They're open to her, but at this point they're kind of lukewarm because of the disparaging comments of some of her people, not necessarily hers," said John Smith, chairman of the NNPA.

While Clinton tries to minimize the damage, she is leaning on loyalists like Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. High profile supporters will help, but Clinton needs votes to win and she will almost certainly campaign relentlessly to get them.

I can't quite wrap my head around this one. I'd understand apologizing for Ferraro's douchebaggery, but . . .what the fuck is Clinton doing apologizing for Shrubby's ineffectiveness with Katrina? Was she busy sucking his cock so that he couldn't react due to the distraction or something? I'm not getting it.

[Fleet Admiral JD]

I think the whole "George Bush Hates Black People" thing prompted this, and she was attempting to recover her appeal with African-Americans. She was simply making herself look as good to blacks as she can.

Sorry if this is garbled--I'm exhausted.

[CaptJodan]

My guess is she's just pandering to the black vote. This is the nicer, gentler Clinton that sways in and out every once and a while, usually after there's irrefutable evidence on the wall that her campaign is collapsing.

From the way it's written, her apology for Katrina seems oddly more sincere than the one for the remarks made.

[Darth Wong]

"I'm sorry if anyone was offended. It certainly was not meant in anyway to be offensive," she said.

There's a huge difference between saying "I'm sorry for those totally unacceptable statements" and "I'm sorry if anyone was offended."

When a politician says "I'm sorry if anyone was offended", that's like a criminal saying "I'm sorry I got caught."

[Mr Bean]

When a politician says "I'm sorry if anyone was offended", that's like a criminal saying "I'm sorry I got caught."

It also says "I'm sorry YOUR offended" Because I know I'M not offended.

[Darth Wong]

what the fuck is Clinton doing apologizing for Shrubby's ineffectiveness with Katrina?

Olbermann said earlier that she is now campaigning as a Republican against Obama. I guess he was right.

[Patrick Degan]

Too little, too late. Ferraro has been making this bullshit argument of hers for some time now and it's taken Team Clinton about four days after it became nationally embarrassing to get around to issuing a statement of apology.

Well, granting the benefit of the doubt that Hillary herself is not racist at heart for purposes of argument, it is yet another sign of the incompetence in the management of her campaign and one going right to the very top of it —the candidate herself.

What the fuck does Hurricane Katrina have to do with Geraldine Ferraro's asinine spew? Absolutely nothing, of course, except as a very clumsy attempt to try to swing the black vote away from Obama by invoking the spectre of Bush's most obvious failure which impacted heavily upon a large black population; thereby to "prove" that Hillary really, really doesn't hate black people after all and that she can do something for them. She didn't have to go through these sorts of unnecessary gymnastics when a simple, direct, and immediate "Ferraro is fired" statement would have sufficed.

Cynical opportunist or blithering incompetent. There seems no third possibility to describe what Hillary Clinton is.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

On the plus side, the fact that she's willing to admit fault, even in such a half-assed way, is proof that she must be feeling at least a little fear. So she's not completely disconnected from reality.

[Pelranius]

She knows enough reality for it to be dangerous for her.

Sometimes seeing 10% of the picture is worse than seeing 0%.

Is it possible that Clinton might be on meds or something? She's been making a lot of misspeaks recently.

PS: Sorry if I broke the forum rules with the last comment. I'm not quite sure.

[CmdrWilkens]

On the plus side, the fact that she's willing to admit fault, even in such a half-assed way, is proof that she must be feeling at least a little fear. So she's not completely disconnected from reality.

No she see's reality, but only in the "I am a Clinton who can and will win everything" slant. Thsi was about the only manuevering option left open to her. if she outright rejected Ferraro now then it plays perfectly back into the narrative that she doesn't control her own campaign (the fact that she doesn't aside). If she keeps quite then Obama gets to keep pounding her for being a race-baiting bitch (which she is). This sort of half-assed attempt to admit fault is designed to absolve her of blame for not controlling her campaign (she didn't realize Ferraro was being truly offensive until everyone got incredibly pissed) and revert her to the hero of the minority (c'mon Latino's the fact that Ferraro was insulting every non-white politician doesn't mean you can't vote for me).

Simply put this is blatant political manuevering with not a hint of honesty behind it. This wasn't her acknowledging fault it was her doing damage control in an attempt to change the narrative.