In an 8-minute video posted on her Facebook page on Wednesday, Sarah Palin responded to the events in Tucson, and slammed the media for "manufacturing blood libel" in the wake of the shootings.
"Within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that only serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn."
"Blood libel"? After a shooting spree? And one in which the targeted victim was Gabrielle Giffords, a Jewish woman?
Bad word-choice much, Sarah?
Unfortunate, inflammatory semantics aside, Palin did have to respond, given the blame Keith Olbermann and others have placed on her for incubating the violent partisan rhetoric (and imagery) that may or may not have inspired Jared Loughner to kill.
She had a chance to elevate the discussion, but chose to lower herself back into the debate we're somehow still having.
Watch Palin's full statement:
UPDATE: Jewish groups are responding to Palin.
“We wish that Palin had not invoked the phrase 'blood-libel' in reference to the actions of journalists and pundits in placing blame for the shooting in Tucson on others,” Abe Foxman, president of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement. “While the term 'blood-libel' has become part of the English parlance to refer to someone being falsely accused, we wish that Palin had used another phrase, instead of one so fraught with pain in Jewish history." (Read many more group reactions over at Yahoo.)
