Sarah Palin Unloads with Both Barrels

Sarah Palin posted a video today entitled America's Enduring Strength with her response to the shootings in Tuscon. You can also read the text on Facebook.


Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo.
With the first barrel, Sarah went after the harsh criticism directed at her in the media:

"But, 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 they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible."

The blood libel charge has got to sting, and while no names were named my guess is that the counter-responses will tell who thinks they're in the "you probably think this song is about you" crowd.

What's surprising is what's in the second barrel:

"It is in the hour when our values are challenged that we must remain resolved to protect those values. Recall how the events of 9-11 challenged our values and we had to fight the tendency to trade our freedoms for perceived security. And so it is today."

Just who is being criticized by that statement? Yes, I suspect there will be no more love lost between Sarah Palin and Karl Rove.

Someone, however, has written a very good speech for Governor Palin. Speeches like the one in this video could take her places. That is, if enough people want to follow her where she wants to go.

Sarah strives to take up the high ground with Barack Obama, whose response earlier this week was one of the finer moments of his Presidency:

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, the other party won. In both elections the will of the American people was heard, and the peaceful transition of power proved yet again the enduring strength of our Republic.

Actually, the last election was a split decision, with the Republicans winning the U.S. House and most of the Governorships and the Democrats retaining control of the U.S. Senate. Still I agree the "other party" gets the victory on points.

Update 1/13/2011: One Republicans may not have missed the full implications of what was in that that second barrel. Ari Fleischer, White House spokesman to President George W. Bush, is quoted as saying:

"The strongest way to rise above would have been to talk about suffering, tragedy, hope, strength and recovery. But instead she followed the more conventional political route and made it about herself rather than the victims."

A dog knows when he has been kicked. But the whole point of Sarah Palin being a maverick and going rogue was that the old Republican school needed to be kicked aside.