“Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. Especially within hours
of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood
libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport
to condemn. That is reprehensible.”
As the Times pointed out in an article on the matter:
The term blood libel is generally used to mean the false accusation that Jews
murder Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals, in particular
the baking of matzos for passover. That false claim was circulated for centuries
to incite anti-Semitism and justify violent pogroms against Jews. Ms. Palin’s
use of the phrase in her video, which helped make the video rapidly go viral, is attracting criticism, not least because Ms. Giffords, who remains in critical condition
in a Tucson hospital, is Jewish.
Now, I understand if this had been an off-the-cuff speech, where Palin had just misspoken, and had heard the term blood libel but didn't know or mentally misplaced the historical baggage. However, this was a video, that was presumably written and vetted by her staff before posting it.
The big problem that I see in this is not that Palin is anti-semitic - I'm guessing she didn't realize the nature of the term "blood libel." No, the problem is that not a single person around her had any idea that it was a problem to use the term, or if they did felt unable to warn her. That speaks to the lack of historical literacy in those surrounding her, and an incredible lack of the basic qualification for her team. Anybody who has run for the vice presidency and is a top contender for a major party nomination for the presidency in less than two years has to have somebody on the team who knows some history, or somebody who has enough confidence to shut down a video like this before it gets posted. Palin has Todd and a bunch of hacks who have little to recommend them except their personal loyalty to her. A Palin presidency would be like a replay of Warren Hardings, except his wife and loyal hacks had the good sense to not let him talk in public.
