Palin: Journalists incited hatred after shooting

Sarah Palin put on full display Wednesday all that makes her a formidable yet divisive contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination — inspiring to some, maddening to others, a powerhouse who can command the sort of media attention her putative GOP rivals envy.

In an eight-minute video posted online, Palin fiercely dismissed any notion that her firearms-infused political attacks contributed to the shooting of U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz., in a rampage that left six dead and 14 wounded. Palin also launched a controversy by accusing her critics of mounting a “blood libel” against her, a reference denounced as offensive by Jewish groups.

The video had the trappings of a presidential-level address, with an American flag featured prominently in the frame and Palin speaking at length in a calm tone — noticeably different from the Mama Grizzly-styled shouts of last year’s elections.

It also served as another example of Palin’s undeniable star quality. On the same day President Barack Obama traveled to Arizona to speak at a memorial service, Palin commandeered the news media, securing the kind of coverage denied other potential GOP candidates. Mitt Romney, who is overseas on a tour of the Middle East, and Mike Huckabee both issued statements on the shootings earlier this week that largely went unnoticed.

Ken Khachigian, a former speechwriter for Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan and a longtime GOP strategist in California, said he was struck by Palin’s bearing in the video, saying he felt the former vice presidential candidate “appeared more grown up.” “She captured some of what she did at the (Republican) convention in ’08,” he said. “She was more conversational, more dignified.”

In her message, Palin did little to scale back her rhetoric in the face of accusations that her use last year of a map “targeting” Giffords’ Arizona district helped foster a climate of violence.

“After this shocking tragedy, I listened at first puzzled, then with concern, and now with sadness, to the irresponsible statements from people attempting to apportion blame for this terrible event,” Palin said.

She saved her harshest words for “media and pundits,” whom she said “should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.”

Jewish groups and others reacted swiftly, saying Palin had compared her own political plight to centuries of anti-Semitic behavior. A “blood libel” is a term that dates back to the Middle Ages, when Jewish people were accused of using the blood of Christians in religious rituals.

“Palin’s comments either show a complete ignorance of history, or blatant anti-Semitism,” said Jonathan Beeton, a spokesman for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who, like Giffords, is Jewish. “Either way, it shows an appalling lack of sensitivity given Representative Giffords’ faith and the events of the past week.”

But within a few hours, more than 30,000 Palin supporters on Facebook cheered her comments, a reminder of the allegiance the former Alaska governor can inspire among conservatives.

Possible GOP presidential candidates have been wary of criticizing Palin. Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, took a minor jab at her Tuesday morning, saying the now-infamous “target map” was “not my style.” By that afternoon, he told conservative interviewers “people shouldn’t try to connect this to Sarah Palin” whom he called a “remarkable leader.”

Todd Harris, a Republican strategist, said his problem with the Palin video is it will “be loved by those who love her, hated by those who already hate her.” “What she said was beautifully written and she delivered with the same star power that she always brings, but it seemed like there was little effort to connect with the broader American audience,” he said.

Khachigian argued Palin had to respond to her critics. “There was a feeding frenzy taking place,” he said, praising her for giving no ground. “She shouldn’t have to concede. This is an effort by some to cow her into lowering her voice and stopping her message.” Simon Greer, president of Jewish Funds for Justice, said he felt Palin was taking advantage of the unrest and economic uncertainty in the country to promote a toxic political environment.

“I would want to believe Sarah Palin doesn’t just throw around the ’blood libel,’ “ Greer said. “But what I fear is that there is a strategic decision to occupy the position of victim — to say she’s a victim just like Jews who have been killed en masse. I think it’s to gain a short-term political advantage.” But Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz, commenting Wednesday on the Big Government online site operated by conservative gadfly Andrew Breitbart, defended Palin’s use of the term.

“There is nothing improper and certainly nothing anti-Semitic in Sarah Palin using the term to characterize what she reasonably believes are false accusations that her words or images may have caused a mentally disturbed individual to kill and maim,” Dershowitz said.

Palin’s message will only increase speculation that she plans to run for president. In the video, she clearly embraced the role as a leader of her party who stands in opposition to Obama.

“The last election was all about taking responsibility for our country’s future. President Obama and I may not agree on everything, but I know he would join me in affirming the health of our democratic process. Two years ago his party was victorious. Last November,” she said, “the other party won.”