SIOUX FALLS, S.D.– Senator Hillary Clinton referred to the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968 as a reason she should continue her battle with Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.

Mrs. Clinton's remarks came during meeting with the Sioux Falls Argus Leadereditorial board. She was responding to a question about calls for her to drop out of the race. The editorial board meeting, in advance of South Dakota's primary on June 3, was carried live on the Argus Leader's Web site.

"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," Mrs. Clinton said, dismissing the idea of dropping out.

Mr. Obama learned of the remark when he was traveling to a rally in South Florida. He was not expected to publicly discuss it, aides said. Instead, the campaign issued a one-line statement.

"Senator Clinton's statement before the Argus Leader editorial board was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign," said Bill Burton, a campaign spokesman.

But an aide to Mrs. Clinton said that she was simply using the Kennedy assassination as a benchmark to underscore that nomination fights can go a long time and that she was in no way implying anything else.

"She was simply referencing her husband in 1992 and Bobby Kennedy in 1968 as historical examples of the nominating process going well into the summer," said Mo Elleithee, a spokesman for the Clinton campaign. "Any reading into it beyond that is outrageous."

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Ummmm... one question... WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE TALKING ABOUT? What does the assassination of Bobby Kennedy have to do with her not dropping put of the race? Oh wait, is she paying tribute to Kevin Nealon's "Subliminal Man" from Saturday Night Live?

Is she hoping that by putting assassinate and Barack in the same sentence that one of her poor, uneducated, non-college graduate, middle American, uncomfortable voting for a black person, constituents will get the message?

She has sensed issued an apology for this, but this falls under my category of meaningless apologies. Kinda like, "Dude, I am sorry that I threw all over the inside of your car."

P.S. Thanks to my good friend Rich for sending this to me.