Shakespearean tragedy

The more I observe Hillary Clinton's mess of a primary campaign, the more I see her as a victim of her own tragic flaw, a kind of Shakespearean hero. Take this amazing remark Friday about RFK's assassination. If you are going to give examples of primaries lasting into June, there are many, many possibilities without bringing up this one. What are earth was she thinking of? In context, how can you not read the subtext as, Anything can happen as late as June, the leading candidate can even be assassinated. And she is perfectly right. In our unfortunate culture, assassination has often changed everything. So you can't fault her for lying, the way she lied about being under sniper fire. This time her fault is incredible insensitivity and crassness. I have to go all the way back to Nixon to find a remark so out of touch with the context of the times: Nixon asking Vietnam protesters how their football team is doing. Say what? Your mouth drops open when you hear that. The same with HC's remark. What was she thinking? Even her non-apologetic apology was out of touch, and she never did apologize to Obama. She probably doesn't even get it.

HC reminds me of Nixon in other ways. Both love being victims. Both see vast conspiracies against them (the Clintons even gave it a name). Both are apt to say anything to gain political advantage. Both are skilled politicians, neither even close to being a statesman. Both eventually fall victim to their own paranoia, which is what seems to be happening to HC in her current meltdown. At least one of her advisors, speaking on the record anonymously, has observed this and is worried about her.

Oliver Stone already made a powerful dramatic story based on Nixon, portrayed brilliantly by A. Hopkins. Surely someone will do the same regarding HC. She's a character of Shakespearean proportions. A victim of her own unbridled ambition. As more than one commentator has put it, it's an increasingly sad story.

Personally, I think if she had kept to the high road after the shock of O's popularity, she still could have won the nomination. But then that would require her to be someone she is not. Part of her flaw is this inability to stick to the high road. Or did she just get bad advice? Sad in either case. And no one else put those spontaneous remarks about assassination in her mouth. That was HC all the way. I suspect this will prove to be the nail in her coffin.