At the risk of waddling in late to a controversy, I simply must comment on Hillary Clinton's latest gaffe. As you've no doubt heard by now…well, let's let the New York Times tell the story:<
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton defended staying in the Democratic nominating contest on Friday by pointing out that her husband had not wrapped up the nomination until June 1992, adding, "We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California."
Her remarks were met with quick criticism from the campaign of Senator Barack Obama, and within hours of making them Mrs. Clinton expressed regret, saying, "The Kennedys have been much on my mind the last days because of Senator Kennedy," referring to the recent diagnosis of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's brain tumor…
Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, an uncommitted superdelegate, said through a spokeswoman that the comments were "beyond the pale."
I really don't care to hazard a guess as to what was running through Hillary's mind when she made this comment while chatting up the editorial board of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Glenn Reynolds and others believe she was just trying to make the case that other contested primary races hadn't ended before the middle of June, albeit in an exceptionally clumsy manner. Other observers believe she made the comments in the same vein that campaigns raise concerns about their opponents' health, albeit in an exceptionally craven manner. Andrew Sullivan, who like me tends to assume the worst where the Clintons are concerned, titled his post on the matter "Paging Dr. Freud."
Ultimately, none of us will ever know what was going through Hillary Clinton's head when she made the comment. And you know what? Who cares? Her campaign is now as relevant to our politics as Tom Harkin's 1992 bid for the White House. For the love of God, let her stinking corpse of a campaign rest in peace.
What I find interesting about this incident is that any way you spin it, it's a monstrous gaffe, definitely the biggest of the campaign. And this campaign cycle has seen many gaffes. Perhaps my mind is playing tricks on me, but I think we've seen more gaffes from top tier candidates in 2007-2008 than we saw in the past 20 years combined.
I don't think it's just a distortion because the internet and other modern media implements are amplifying each faux pas. Even back in the Paleolithic era of politics (1988), Bob Dole could snarl "Get back in your cage" at a New Hampshire voter and do his campaign enormous harm. Candidates are just saying more dumb things these days. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney are all extremely intelligent and energetic office seekers, and yet they all made multiple, inexplicable gaffes.
Inexplicable until now that is, for I will endeavor to explain them. The modern workaholic candidate puts in 18 hour days for 18 months with hardly a day off. The fatigue gets to him (or her), and he (or she) says stupid things. Working themselves as hard as they do, the candidates make the gaffes inevitable. No human being can stay sharp when demanding so much of himself (or herself) for such an extended period of time.
At some point a really forward looking candidate will do a sophisticated cost-benefit analysis of whether it makes more sense to get a few hours sleep or to shake 30 indifferent hands at a rural diner or to raise another $20k at a rubber chicken function. Fred Thompson based his campaign on the decision that it always made more sense to get the extra sleep than make an appearance, but there has to be a happy median. I know candidates feel that they have to stay busy all the time, but Olympic athletes in training don't work at it 18 hours a day. At some point, even politicians have to consider the laws of efficiency and diminishing returns.
Pajamas Media called Hillary Clinton's comments yesterday the "mother of all gaffes." It may turn out that way. If it winds up chasing her from the race, it may well go down as the biggest campaign blunder ever. A distorted and simplified version of history will perhaps argue that it cost her the election, just the way liberals now recall Al Gore getting more votes in Florida than George W. Bush.
Was it really necessary that Hillary talk to some newspaper in Sioux Falls while intellectually, emotionally and physically exhausted? Clinton supporters today anyway would probably answer no. Personally, I hope the McCain campaign is paying attention to this affair and crafting its schedule accordingly.
