Academic

ALAN DERSHOWITZ: ?The term ?blood libel? has taken on a broad metaphorical meaning in public discou?

By Glenn Reynolds

ALAN DERSHOWITZ: “The term ‘blood libel’ has taken on a broad metaphorical meaning in public discourse.” You don’t say. He continues: “Although its historical origins were in theologically based false accusations against the Jews and the Jewish People,its current usage is far broader. I myself have used it to describe false accusations against the State of Israel by the Goldstone Report. 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.”

UPDATE: From the comments: “Alan Dershowitz defending Sarah Palin tells me the lunatic left is just about out of ammunition.”

Heck, it’s gotten so bad that even Jonathan Chait is defending Palin.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Neo-Neocon writes that if you look at what people were saying on Twitter, “blood libel” sounds about right.

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on January 12, 2011 (boomark / email).