political assassination: not to be taken lightly

senator clinton's very unfortunate remark today about bobby kennedy's assassination has resonated around the world:

"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," she said, dismissing calls to drop out.

and it wasn't the first time either. back in march, she said nearly the same thing in a time magazine interview:

"I think people have short memories. Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn't wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June, also in California."

exactly a week ago (may 16), mike huckabee effectively ended his chances of being a mccain vp choice with his reckless and very inappropriate joke at the national rifle association:

"That was Barack Obama. He just tripped off a chair. He's getting ready to speak and somebody aimed a gun at him and he — he dove for the floor."

and just yesterday, senator tom carper was pushing for clinton to be obama's vp, but made this remark:

"I'll encourage [Obama] to ask, and if he does, for her to say yes. She would be a good president if something ever were to happen to him."

...if something ever were to happen to him...if something ever were to happen to him...what the hell is up with the clinton campaign team and their surrogates right now? why on earth would senator clinton ever even use the term "assassination"? why on earth is tom carper using the possibility of something happening to obama to help "make his case" for why clinton should be vp? well, after the events of today, senator feinstein, senator carper and bill clinton can focus on other asks, because like with huckabee last week, this puts to rest any further talk of an obama-clinton ticket. i am not suggesting that the clinton campaign is secretly hoping for obama to be assassinated, but i am suggesting that they are very sloppy with their words, and senator clinton will be perceived as considerably less "presidential"--and possibly not even "senatorial"--after today's "misspeak".

the assassination of bobby kennedy was a national tragedy, like the assassination of jfk, like the assassination of martin luther king, jr. my father was in his early thirties when bobby kennedy was killed, and had been a supporter of his campaign. he was a teacher and was excited about the prospect of a bobby kennedy presidency. my father and i have talked about the similarities with obama's campaign now, the excitement that so many of us feel for change, the willingness of average citizens to get involved to move this country forward. but bobby kennedy's death changed my father's life forever, and he boarded a plane for europe the day after bobby was killed, and has lived most of his years since in europe. he will never forget that day, just as many older volunteers have stated to me during my time volunteering for the obama campaign--that they remember the day king died and they remember jfk, and their hope for obama is tempered by the nagging fear that it could happen again.

on may 18, the 75,000 person obama rally in portland was the biggest of the campaign so far, and one of the biggest political campaign rallies in history. after the event, the volunteers were cleaning up the litter and re-stacking all the barricades that we had setup the night before. i was next to the podium where obama had stood and watched as the secret service were dismantling it. the waist high railing had been reinforced with metal plates of some kind, and as they removed them a chill went down my spine--these were there to protect obama from an assassin. the words of my father echoed in my mind, and there was a sense of deja vu.

so, in this context, i am deeply disappointed to hear huckabee, senator clinton and her surrogates so carelessly feed the conscious or unconscious political assassination fears of millions of americans. we don't need another national tragedy. now--more than ever--we need "change we can believe in".