WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton did something Wednesday night that she almost never does. She apologized. And once she started, she didn't seem able to stop.
The New York senator, who is in a tight race with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, struck several sorry notes at an evening forum sponsored by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a group of more than 200 black community newspapers across the country.
Her biggest apology came in response to a question about comments by her husband, Bill Clinton, after the South Carolina primary, which Obama won handily. Bill Clinton said Jesse Jackson also won South Carolina when he ran for president in 1984 and 1988, a comment many viewed as belittling Obama's success.
"I want to put that in context. You know I am sorry if anyone was offended. It was certainly not meant in any way to be offensive," Hillary Clinton said. "We can be proud of both Jesse Jackson and Senator Obama."
How patronizing - she's "proud" of Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama. She's clearly concerned about the largely black metro areas of Pennsylvania that are supposed to go heavily for Obama, and maybe if she can win some of them back she can garner enough votes to take that state (for the sake of the ongoing Dem war, I hope so).
I'm guessing that she's also worried about what might happen to the black vote should she wrestle the nomination away from Obama. She can't afford to have those people go fishing on election day in November.
Apology tours in the black community have historically failed. Just ask Trent Lott, Michael Richards or Don Imus. I don't expect this one to have any better results.
UPDATE: Perhaps this explains the apology tour:
RASMUSSEN at 11:00 AM:
Likely Dem Voters Nationwide
Black: Obama 81% Clinton 7%
White: Clinton 50% Obama 39%
Women: Clinton 51% Obama 40%
Men: Obama 60% Clinton 28%
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