Hillary Clinton continued to parse her poorly-worded remarks about Bobby Kennedy's June 1968 assassination, insisting Sunday that she meant no harm by the reference and is not a quitter even when the deck is stacked against her.

Clinton faced considerable backlash in the media and earned quick criticism from Barack Obama's campaign on Friday after she gave the year of Kennedy's assassination as an example of a long campaign season and an explanation for why she's staying in the Democratic presidential primary race.

In response to the uproar, she wrote in Sunday editions of The New York Daily News that her comments were taken out of context and deliberately misinterpreted.

"I want to set the record straight: I was making the simple point that given our history, the length of this year's primary contest is nothing unusual. Both the executive editor of the newspaper where I made the remarks, and Sen. Kennedy's son, Bobby Kennedy Jr., put out statements confirming that this was the clear meaning of my remarks," she wrote.

Referencing his father's assassination, in a statement issued late Friday, Bobby Kennedy Jr. wrote, "It is clear from the context that Hillary was invoking a familiar political circumstance in order to support her decision to stay in the race through June. I have heard her make this reference before, also citing her husband’s 1992 race, both of which were hard fought through June. I understand how highly charged the atmosphere is, but I think it is a mistake for people to take offense."

In her Sunday editorial, Clinton continued, "I realize that any reference to that traumatic moment for our nation can be deeply painful - particularly for members of the Kennedy family, who have been in my heart and prayers over this past week. And I expressed regret right away for any pain I caused. But I was deeply dismayed and disturbed that my comment would be construed in a way that flies in the face of everything I stand for - and everything I am fighting for in this election."

Clinton has been facing an onslaught of calls to drop out of the primary race, which has three more contests to complete through June 3. She is trailing rival Obama in the delegate count, 1,972 to 1,780. Without Florida and Michigan, which were eliminated by the party for voting early, the nominee needs 2,026 delegates to win.

Despite the long odds, Clinton refuses to bow out, and invoked Kennedy's assassination when she told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader that she won't give up until all the votes are counted.

"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. You know, I just -- I don't understand it."

Asked about her comment, Obama said late Saturday that he did not think Clinton's statement was a suggestion that he would face a similar fate while running for president, a remark that is considered taboo to even mention on the campaign trail, regardless of party or candidate.

"I think it was an unfortunate remark, but as I said today, I think that when you're on the campaign trail for 15 months – you know, you're gonna make some mistakes and I don't think that Sen. Clinton intended anything by it and, you know, I think we should put it behind us," he said.

Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe told "FOX News Sunday" that Clinton was speaking merely about the length of the primary. He also took aim at the Obama campaign for trying to milk the story.

"It's unfortunate. A hyped-up press over Memorial Day weekend -- the Obama campaign inflaming it, tried to take these words out of context. She was making a point merely about the timeline," McAuliffe said. "Friday they were all part of this process. The press secretary came out and attacked Senator Clinton and got it going so the story would be around for three days. It's nice to get a story going and then, you know, let it go for three days over the weekend and say, 'Oh, she didn't mean anything about it.'"

Asked about that suggestion, Obama chief strategist David Axelrod said his camp has put the issue to rest. He brushed off a question about his press team prolonging the matter by sending around commentary from a media pundit who criticized Clinton.

"A few minutes after we issued that statement (she) seemed to say that she herself felt it was unfortunate and was misinterpreted. We accepted that, as Senator Obama said yesterday. She said, you know, that's not what she meant, and we take her at her word. And, you know, it's -- we're beyond that issue now, so certainly we're not trying to stir the issue up," he told ABC's "This Week."

Clinton continues to insist that she is still the best candidate to take on McCain, and she thinks she can win on the merits.

"I am running because I believe staying in this race will help unite the Democratic Party. ... I am running because my parents did not raise me to be a quitter -- and too many people still come up to me at my events, grip my arm and urge me not to walk away before this contest is over. ... I am running for all those women in their 90s who've told me they were born before women could vote, and they want to live to see a woman in the White House. ... I am running for all the men and women I meet who wake up every day and work hard to make a difference for their families. People who deserve a shot at the American Dream," she wrote in the editorial.

She added that no matter what happens she is committed to unifying Democrats.

"Ultimately, what Sen. Obama and I share is so much greater than our differences. And I know that if we come together, as a party and a people, there is no challenge we cannot meet, no barrier we cannot break and no dream we cannot realize," she wrote.